Press Release
September 23, 2022 • 2 min read
Over 180 representatives from leading British and Irish sports and media businesses came together in London’s Smith & Wollensky’s restaurant last Friday 16th Sept to raise funds for GOAL’s life-changing and life-saving work in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Ukraine.
GOAL’s 2022 London Lunch was hosted by long-term and loyal GOAL supporter Mickey O’Rourke, founder of Setanta Sport. The programme of high-profile speakers included sporting events promoter Barry Hearn, OBE, and comedian, Mario Rosenstock. Guests included executives from the Premier League, Formula 1, Gravity Media, DAZN, Sky, NEP Production Centre, TEAM, IMG, BeIN, Setanta Sports, Premier Sports, Vodafone, Pitch International, and Warner Brothers Discovery Sports.
Speaking at the event, Mickey O’Rourke said “I am delighted to host this important fundraising event for an aid agency I have the highest regard for. Since GOAL was founded 45 years ago, it has always been synonymous with sport and the sports industry, and the sector has always nurtured and supported that partnership and that is what we are about today.”
In closing the event, GOAL’s Chief Executive Officer, Siobhan Walsh, thanked attendees for their generosity and highlighted how such events and corporate collaboration are essential to GOAL’s mission to help the most vulnerable communities respond and recover from humanitarian crises and build resilience.
“At GOAL, we recognise that the fundamental complexity of the global challenges faced today mean that innovative collaboration and partnership is vital to achieve results. Events such as this provide important opportunities for both GOAL and the corporate sector: to make new connections, explore new opportunities, and to be a part of something much bigger than any one of us – a vision to strive for a more equal, more just, and better world. We are deeply grateful to all attendees for their time and generosity today, and for the opportunities we may pursue together in future,” concluded Siobhan Walsh.
Funds raised at this event will contribute to GOAL’s work including the on-going provision of aid to internally displaced people in Ukraine, programmes to prevent and treat malnutrition as the extreme hunger crisis in East Africa escalates and provision of safe clean drinking water to displaced communities in northern Syria.
