AFC Unity are launching an initiative to help support Sheffield’s campaign to Stop & Scrap Universal Credit.
Unity’s Football for Food campaign has been running since 2015, and has won accolades for its success in raising both awareness and food donations for local food banks, with home games acting as a donation point.
Trussell Trust have noted that ‘When Universal Credit goes live in an area, there is a demonstrable increase in demand in local Trussell Trust foodbanks. On average, 12 months after roll-out, food banks see a 52% increase in demand, compared to 13% in areas with Universal Credit for 3 months or less.
They added: ‘This increase cannot be attributed to randomness and exists even after accounting for seasonal and other variations. Benefit transitions, most likely due to people moving onto Universal Credit, are increasingly accounting for more referrals and are likely driving up need in areas of full Universal Credit roll-out.’
This is why AFC Unity’s first team players recently decided to act on this issue: Unity’s own wristbands are now on sale for a suggested donation of £1 each, with every penny of proceeds going directly to Sheffield’s campaign to Stop & Scrap Universal Credit.
So now you can show your support for both AFC Unity and this important campaign by purchasing an official wristband. Get in touch if you’d like to buy one (postage is covered by the club)! They’ll also be available at home games and Solidarity Soccer sessions.