Story courtesy of Haringey Giving.
At this time of year, it’s usually peak season for the North London Lions – not just for football but also for fundraising. This Australian Rules club are no strangers to supporting community and finding fun ways to fund raise for local and worldwide causes, something they have been doing now for nearly 30 years. Each week for about three months, the Bounds Green team finds a theme, last year it was fundraising for the bush fires in Australia; this time it’s Haringey. Although most players originally come from Australia, New Zealand, Canada or France, and many live outside of Haringey, the Lions are proud of their north London connection.
The volunteer-run club targets its fundraising on smaller causes with local impact. Haringey Giving and North London Cares are proud to be chosen by the North London Lions, who in April raised £375 in under three hours during a special virtual reverse raffle fundraising event.
“Lots of people are raising money for NHS at the moment, which is great, but we feel there's a lot of charities that do a lot of good work locally and on the ground level,” says North London Lions assistant coach Chris Dobson.
Their efforts are not just good news for local causes, but getting involved, says Dobson: “It’s great fun and good for everyone's mental health.” Due to the Covid-19 crisis, numbers radically dropped as many players and supports travelled thousands of miles to get back home, be reunited with family, for work or for living arrangement reasons. Lockdown stopped all play and all practice, but the club’s commitment to keeping up community spirit has never wavered.
“Finding community in London is a big part of what the club is about,” says Dobson. Now with many Lions scattered not just around London, but across the world, supporters and players are meeting online and, yes, still fundraising. The North London Lions are also supporting local people by offering online fitness classes to get kids active while in lock down. Lions player Elliot is hosting free YouTube PE lessons on his Youtube page Be-E-Fit.
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