According to Sokito, 12.5 million pairs of football boots go to landfill each year. Charity Boots want to eradicate that.
Meet Neil Smith, a 44-year-old football coach and founder of Charity Boots. Born and raised in Tottenham, he has managed to grow what started out as a small idea in 2015 into one of the UK’s largest football projects. Powered by Neil, his wife and a small army of volunteers, Charity Boots collect, clean and redistribute thousands of football boots in Africa, South America and parts of the UK.
Neil shares his story: “Originally, the process was speaking to parents at my football sessions. The parents would then send their kids in with bags of football boots that they no longer use.
“We’ve gone from those small parent group chats to the public donating boots from all over the country. On a normal week, we can get 200 boots, some from as far as Scotland.
“It all happened so fast. We have an ambassador called Alexi Rojas, and he plays for Arsenal. He spoke to the club and managed to get a collection bin at Arsenal a few years ago. Then Tottenham and Everton reached out. Then the FA contacted me and said they wanted four bins at Wembley. It was a real pat myself on the back moment.”
Growing up in a Colombian household, Neil has always known the importance of charity.
“When we would go to Colombia, you would always bring one suitcase for yourself and then another to give out to others. For me, it was a natural transition to go from being a football coach to running a charity.
“I just felt like football clubs and professional players and brands don’t do enough for local communities. It’s all about the brand and making it look glossy for the ones that can afford to buy a pair of boots. Looking out to the greater world, there’s not enough being done for the children living in countries where they can’t afford to play football.
“We’ve hit the 13,000 mark now with the amount of football boots donated. What really matters is how many people we’ve actually touched, how many people we’ve actually given that opportunity to have a pair of football boots. That’s what really matters to us.”
Charity Boots also send boots to communities within the UK, but the majority are rehomed in South America and Africa.
“20% end up in the UK, and a good 70-80% end up in between Africa and South America. I think between Africa and South America, I would say that Africa receives a good chunk of it.
“Some children from Africa, if they were to watch a Champions League final, they’ll have to go to a local village, and they’ll watch it from outside someone’s house, through the windows. They don’t have the same facilities as us. I’ve seen kids cry when receiving a pair of boots. It’s like Christmas. The response is just sheer joy.”
Neil also mentions an upcoming trip to Kenya, in which he will hand deliver 500 pairs of boots and 500 brand new football kits to the local children.
“These kids are going to be kitted out. They’re going to have a brand new kit. They’re going to have socks, shorts and football boots to go with it. It’s my first time in Africa. Even though I’ve been doing this for 10 years, I’ve never had an opportunity to go. It’s gonna be a bit of an emotional roller coaster for me because this is what it’s been all about, to make this opportunity possible.”
Even after tens of thousands of thousands of boots saved, countless lives changed and a plethora of unforgettable experiences, Neil isn’t anywhere near done.
“I want to be working with FIFA. We can roll this out from top to bottom by simply putting collection bins at every single football club. That’s the vision. Every club should have a collection bin where the players and the academy players can put their boots in the bin, and we can collect them, and then they can be redistributed back into society, instead of to a landfill. The sky is the limit for sure.”
You can donate to Charity Boots here: https://charityboots.org/donations/
