English League One club Sunderland AFC will donate £1 ($1.36/€1.18) from every ticket sold for the upcoming home game against Doncaster Rovers to the Bradley Lowery Foundation.
The scheme has been set up to mark the return to the club of former England striker Jermain Defoe, who befriended the terminally ill young fan during his previous spell at the Stadium of Light. Bradley suffered from neuroblastoma, a cancer, and sadly passed away at just six years old in 2017.
To recognise the return of Defoe to the North East club, Sunderland announced it would be donating £1 from each ticket sale for the Doncaster game to the foundation set up by Bradley’s mother, Gemma, to support families who are fundraising for treatment or equipment which is not readily available or funded by the NHS.
Sunderland has an average attendance of just over 30,000 during the 2021-22 season.
.@IAmJermainDefoe x @Bradleysfight
£1 from every ticket sold for this Saturday’s game will be donated to the Bradley Lowery Foundation! ❤️🤍
🎟️👇
— Sunderland AFC (@SunderlandAFC) February 1, 2022
Defoe, who has signed a contract until the end of the season, said: “First and foremost, thank you for the warm welcome. We have a massive game this weekend and we need your support – we need the Stadium of Light full and it needs to be rocking.
“What makes the game ever more special is that for every ticket sold, £1 will be donated to the Bradley Lowery Foundation. Gemma and the guys do amazing work and you all know what it means to me and my family, so make sure you get your tickets and we’ll see you on Saturday.”
Supporters unable to attend the game on Saturday will be able to donate a ticket to the Foundation, which will then distribute them within the local community alongside online fanzine, Roker Report.
Gemma Lowery added: “From day one, Sunderland has been incredible with Bradley and we could not be happier to have our patron, Jermain, back home. This weekend the club is donating £1 to the Bradley Lowery Foundation for every ticket sold and we cannot thank everyone involved enough for their continued support.
“This is such a kind gesture and I encourage all fans that are able to do so to attend Saturday’s game and enjoy what I’m sure will be a truly special day.”
Image: CC BY SA 3.0/Edited for size