Swansea City join with Nathaniel Cars for Boot Room boot drive
Swansea City has joined with Nathaniel Cars for a Boot Room boot drive at the Swans’ home match against Derby County on April 5 (3pm kick-off).
Not only will the kit and boots the Jack Army donate help young people in the city access football through the Boot Room's work, you’ll also be contributing to Green Football’s 'Great Save' campaign, which is encouraging supporters to fight climate change by reducing the amount of wearable sports footwear and clothing that ends up in landfill.
Green Football are rewarding fans who keep kit in play for longer by offering prizes through the 'Great Save' campaign, such as free Sky Sports subscriptions and matchday tickets.
To enter the 'Great Save' campaign, donate an item of sports clothing or a pair of boots to the Nathaniel Car (located outside the ticket office) between 1.30pm and 3pm on Saturday April 5 and scan the QR code held by our volunteers.
The Boot Room was launched by Swans’ fan Carl Bradley in 2019 with the aim of breaking down financial barriers to playing football by providing free boots and kit to children and young people who need them.
With prices of football boots rising year on year, The Boot Room project is even more crucial now than when it launched six years ago, and the charity are opening their fifth site on April 6 as demand for their services continues to grow.
“The Swansea Boot room at Meadow View sports complex will officially open its doors for a launch event between 1pm and 2.30pm on Sunday, April 6," said Carl.
“Not only will the new site contain a Boot Room, it will also contain a Kit Room which we are delighted to be able to open after five years of hard work.
“Last year, the Boot Room became a registered charity in recognition of our work donating more than 10,000 boots back into communities across Wales.
“We’d like to thank the Jack Army for their support, and it would be great to see some of you at the launch event.”
Why is kit and boot donation important?
As well as the positive impact it can have on the community in breaking down barriers to grassroots football, kit and boot donations are also important to the environment.
Climate change is threatening the future of football, with the FA estimating that 120,000 grassroots games are cancelled per year due to pitch flooding. By 2050, one in four English football clubs can expect partial or total stadium flooding each year.
Every year, an estimated 100,000 tonnes of sportswear ends up in UK landfills, which is equivalent to 951 football shirts every minute—or 500 million per year.
Landfills produce large amounts of methane - one of the most toxic greenhouse gases - which fuels climate change. Keeping kit in play for just nine more months could reduce its carbon, water, and waste footprint by up to 30%.