Footballer Helps The Homeless Of Manchester

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany says he will donate all profits from his testimonial match to help the city’s homeless.

The Belgian defender, who joined City 10 years ago, has teamed up with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to create Tackle4MCR and says money from his gala dinner and testimonial match will go to help those sleeping rough. “I’ve received much from Manchester: a great career at the highest level, unconditional support from the fans through thick and thin, a lovely family and so much more to be grateful for,” Kompany told the Manchester Evening News.

“Over the past decade I’ve been lucky to have witnessed and played a part in Manchester City’s rise as a club and a brand. This has also run parallel alongside the rise of a whole region. However, with this spectacular rise, comes a very visible downside: more and more people are left out of and have no access to the benefits of the rapid development, often leaving them no choice but to end up on the streets,” he added.

All profits from the match – to be held at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the current Premier League season – will be donated to the Homelessness Fund set up by Burnham, which aims to end homelessness in Manchester by 2020.

Tackle4MCR will raise money throughout the season through several fundraising initiatives, and hopes to ensure every rough sleeper in the city has a bed every night of the upcoming winter.

“What inspired me so much about this region, about this city, is the positivity of the people that live in it,” said Kompany, who says he was “made” in Manchester. As this city is so powerful compared to so many other cities I have visited in the past, I think we have a responsibility to take everyone along with us on that journey.”

Burnham, who donates 15% of his salary to the Homelessness Fund, said: “In his famous poem, Tony Walsh told us that ‘some are born here, some drawn here, but all call it home’. Those words are personified by Vincent Kompany and his desire, through Tackle4MCR, to give back to this city that he now calls home. In Greater Manchester we want to provide a bed for every rough sleeper every night of the week over this coming winter,” Burnham added.