Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate has backed a campaign helping families access sports equipment after visiting The Multibank in Acton.
The charity, which works with Amazon, redistributes donated surplus goods to families through organisations including The Felix Project to help support those in need.
Alongside essentials such as nappies, toiletries and household items, The Multibank says football boots, sports kit and toys are among the items most often requested by families.
The campaign comes as new YouGov research found around one in six parents said their children had given up sporting ambitions because they could not afford the equipment needed to take part.
Among households earning less than £30,000 a year, football was the activity most commonly given up.
Sir Gareth Southgate said: “Football gave me so much growing up, and I’ve seen first-hand the role it can play in young people’s lives – not just physically, but for confidence, belonging and mental wellbeing.”
Amazon said it plans to donate more than 5.5 million items to families in need this year, including around 150,000 sports products.
John Boumphrey, UK country manager at Amazon, said families supported through The Multibank had shared stories of children missing matches because they did not have their own boots or sports kit.
He said: “We’ve seen first-hand the difference that items like sports kit and football boots can make to families. Whether it’s a dad working three jobs to help his daughter afford a new pair of boots, or two brothers sharing a single pair so they can play alternate matches – these are real stories heard at Multibanks, and they show how everyday items that many of us take for granted can be the difference between a child taking part or missing out.”
