Bengaluru FC donate 'Champions 2023' t-shirts to underprivileged communities

The club joined hands with PUMA for the cause.

Bengaluru FC, on Friday, announced that it had joined hands with PUMA to donate their ‘Champions 2023’ t-shirts, which remained unused after their loss in the 2023 Indian Super League final, to underprivileged communities in the city. In a video posted across social media, club captain Sunil Chhetri was seen joined by goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Suresh Wangjam, who donated the t-shirts to children at a community shelter in Jayanagar.

“It certainly is the first time in my career that this is happening, and I’m not sure if a club has ever done it before. I’m really proud that we’ve taken this step because we want to break the chain. Just because you lose doesn’t mean you have to discard something you made thinking you’re going to be champions; especially when it can be of use to someone else,” said Chhetri.

Having patched up the four stars above the crest along with the year ‘2022-23’, as many as 150 t-shirts are now being sent to communities across Bengaluru. Over the course of the coming week, players from BFC Soccer Schools, the club’s grassroots program, along with club staff and supporters, will also be involved in donating these t-shirts at old-age homes, orphanages and hospitals.

“I’m a big fan of sustainability, and I’m very happy that we've taken this step. These are the t-shirts that we were supposed to wear, but that’s fine. It says ‘champions’, and anyone can be a champion. Today, the ones who are wearing these t-shirts are the champions,” said goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Club representative said in the press conference ahead of Bengaluru FC vs Sreenidi Deccan, "For the first time, Bengaluru FC will have the BFC Soccer Schools logo on our sleeve and also the Inspire Institute of Sports logo on the front of our shirt. We've tied up with these two organizations. One is obviously BFC soccer schools.

"For every goal that Bengaluru FC scores in the tournament, BFC Soccer Schools will be putting one child from the community for a one year scholarship at one of our centers in the city. And with IIS, for every goal that the club scores, the IIS will sponsor two children from our youth  development program to go to their facility in Bellary," he added.

He further stated, "It's an Olympic high performance facility, for a one week free high performance camp. So these are just a couple of the initiatives we've got going ahead of the tournament."

Bengaluru FC are due to fly to Kozhikode for their opening match of the 2023 Super Cup, which kicks off on Saturday, with a clash against Sreenidi Deccan FC.