A Great Sports Fundraising Challenge
Kick A Ball To............
This is a very simple and straightforward sports fundraising idea but one that can easily get overlooked.
It is perfect for nearly any sports club whose game involves a ball of any kind. It can also be scaled up or down depending on age, ability or ambition.
So whether you are the captain of a youth sports club, a committee member on a seniors division or a soccer mom desperate to come up with a great sports fundraising idea for your kid's Little League this could be just what you are looking for.
The basic idea
The keen sportsmen or women are going to throw / kick / hit a ball all the way to London, New York or any other destination of choice depending on your location. At least that's the story!
Of course they aren't actually going to go there. Instead they are going to make the ball travel the equivalent distance. The whole thing actually takes place in your local sports ground or park with those taking part passing the ball to each other enough times to have covered the distance. Money is raised by sponsorship.
Do the sums
You need to work out what might be possible depending on the time available and the abilities of those taking part.
- Measure a throw or kick (do not choose the furthest one you can do but one that could be sustained again and again for some time).
- Time how many of these you could fit into an hour. (Factor in tiredness)You now know how far you could make the ball travel in one hour.
Example
2 players kick the ball between them (distance 20m) 4 times a minute.The ball therefore travels 80m per minute or 4.8km per hour. Using this figure you can now work out what might be possible for your sports fundraiser depending on time and number of participants etc. In this example if you live 40 miles from London it would take you 8-9 hours kicking the ball to get there.
Tell a story
Choose your imaginary destination with care. Its important to tell a good story.
You may be able to work with solo efforts or have to combine the likely totals of the entire club to hit a target.
The destination does not have to be a major city.
What about-
- The rugby club throwing a ball all the way back to the town of Rugby which gave the sport its name.
- The baseball team pitching from one side of the county to the other.
- The Little League soccer team kicking a ball all the way to the nearest professional club
The possibilities are endless. As with all successful sports fundraising you just have to use your imagination and.....tell a good story!
