Advertisement
Activism

Premier League clubs donate food from cancelled games to charity

Premier League games have been cancelled following the death of the Queen but food will not be going to waste as the cost of living crisis bites.

Premier League clubs due to host games this weekend have promised to give unwanted food to charity after matches were cancelled following the death of the Queen.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Fulham, Arsenal, Leicester City, Southampton, Bournemouth, Leeds United and Crystal Palace have all said they would ensure perishable food meant to be served at games would go to local food banks and other charities.

Premier League games regularly attract crowds in the tens of thousands, meaning huge amounts of food prepared could have been wasted at a time when rising inflation mean poverty and food bank use are on the rise. Of clubs due to host games this weekend, only West Ham has yet to clarify what will happen to unused food.

MCFC Fans Foodbank, which collects at games for the mega-rich Manchester City, called the cancellation “a tragedy” on Friday as it means hundreds of emergency meals for households in need will vanish. The Premier League is under no obligation to cancel games as a result of the Queen’s death.

Their collections outside the Etihad Stadium have become the biggest donations that Manchester Central Foodbank receive, according to the statement, “especially during one of the worst crises of our lifetimes, with food bank usage through the roof and people terrified at having to choose between fuel, powering homes, or feeding their families.”

Organisers said they expected to collect at least 250kg of food for hundreds of meals at Manchester Central Foodbank across the week.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Norwood Food Bank, in south London, reportedly collected more than 100 kilograms of fruit and vegetables from Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park this afternoon, according to The Athletic, and Liverpool gave food including “30 trollies of sandwiches” to community organisations.

Fulham reportedly told the same publication that “no food will go to waste” and all

Concerns were also raised for casual staff — such as stewards and ushers — who would miss out on pay following the cancellations.

Advertisement

Change a vendor's life this Christmas

This Christmas, 3.8 million people across the UK will be facing extreme poverty. Thousands of those struggling will turn to selling the Big Issue as a vital source of income - they need your support to earn and lift themselves out of poverty.

Recommended for you

Read All
How Mexico's women hijacked Día de los Muertos to remember the missing and the murdered
The Day of the Dead Women protests in Mexico City in 2021
Activism

How Mexico's women hijacked Día de los Muertos to remember the missing and the murdered

TV legend Carol Vorderman on death, social media and why she's still voice of the opposition
Exclusive

TV legend Carol Vorderman on death, social media and why she's still voice of the opposition

I'm an Israeli who helped survivors of 7 October attack. Here's why we need a ceasefire in Gaza
War in Gaza

I'm an Israeli who helped survivors of 7 October attack. Here's why we need a ceasefire in Gaza

100 students die by suicide at university each year. These parents are fighting to change that
Mental health

100 students die by suicide at university each year. These parents are fighting to change that

Most Popular

Read All
Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits
Renters: A mortgage lender's window advertising buy-to-let products
1.

Renters pay their landlords' buy-to-let mortgages, so they should get a share of the profits

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal
Pound coins on a piece of paper with disability living allowancve
2.

Exclusive: Disabled people are 'set up to fail' by the DWP in target-driven disability benefits system, whistleblowers reveal

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over
next dwp cost of living payment 2023
3.

Cost of living payment 2024: Where to get help now the scheme is over

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue
4.

Citroën Ami: the tiny electric vehicle driving change with The Big Issue