BARRY HEARN has pledged that the new Matchroom Sport Charitable Foundation will make hundreds of thousands of pounds available to charitable causes, as the world-leading sports promotions company launched its latest initiative.
Hearn founded Matchroom in 1982 and over the past 35 years it has donated millions of pounds to a wide-range of charities throughout its many sporting activities. Matchroom now promotes in excess of 100 events per year, selling over 500,000 tickets in the process. Part of the Foundation’s funding will come from a contribution equivalent to £1 for every ticket sold for these events.
The new Foundation will centralise the group’s benevolent efforts to incorporate the Professional Darts Corporation and World Snooker’s events, as well as the various Matchroom Sport divisions across the group, and help a variety of causes including sports and community charities, and a number of hospices for both children and adults.
“Sport gives us so many highs and wonderful moments, Hearn said. “It’s a genuine vehicle for change and puts us in a fortunate position to be able to give something back in a significant way that will make a real difference.
“Hundreds of thousands of people purchase tickets to our many events annually and it seemed a golden opportunity to raise significant funds and then channel them to good causes through our new Foundation.
“Helping others where we can has always been a cornerstone of Matchroom’s philosophy and we are privileged to be in a position to really make a difference to other people’s lives through the Matchroom Sport Charitable Foundation.”
Matchroom’s business activities cover a broad range of sports including snooker, darts, boxing, pool and golf, and reach millions of people around the world. The Matchroom Sport Charitable Foundation aims to harness the success of these businesses and the enduring appeal of sport to raise funds for deserving causes.