McDonald’s Extends Free Fun Football Programme for Another Four Years

McDonald’s has committed to four more years of its Fun Football programme. The renewal puts the focus on giving more children the chance to play and on making the grassroots game more inclusive.

The programme offers free sessions for children aged five to 11, led by qualified coaches at more than 350 centres across the UK. Over two decades it has given many young players their first taste of organised football. 

Inclusion is central to the new commitment, as McDonald’s plans a 235% increase in Additional Needs and Inclusion sessions over the next four years. It will also work to remove barriers to taking part and to support the coaches and volunteers who run grassroots football.

Delivery partners include British Blind Sport, UK Deaf Sport and Access Sport, as well as the Football Association of Wales, the Irish Football Association and the Scottish Football Association. Between them, they aim to reach children and communities in every part of the UK.

When McDonald’s last renewed the programme in 2022, it said it had delivered more than five million hours of Fun Football between 2018 and 2022. It set a target of giving more than a million children access to free football over the following four years.

“For more than 20 years, we’ve been incredibly proud to stand alongside the grassroots football community,” said Andrew Moys, McDonald’s Vice President Impact. “Our next four years are about building on that legacy, not simply celebrating what we’ve achieved but using what we’ve learned to make an even greater difference.”

“We want more children to have the chance to discover football,” he added, “more communities to feel included and more of the people behind the grassroots game to feel supported.”

For many children, a free weekly session can be the start of their football journey and for grassroots clubs, those sessions can provide the players, parents and future volunteers who come through their door next.

Clubs, parents and players can find their nearest Fun Football centre at https://www.mcdonalds.com/gb/en-gb/football/fun-football-centres.html