Football, friendship and… food – October 2026
Gôl Cymru! heads north!
We moved up to north Wales for a change to help a group of children attend the Wales Under 21 Euros qualifying match against Austria in Caernarfon. Working with the North Wales charity Porthi Dre, we bought the kids a meal before taking them to the big match on the Oval.
Porthi Dre is a community hub in the centre of Caernarfon which aims to tackle poverty, reduce food waste and combat loneliness. Last month friends of the late Josh ‘Pickle’ walked more than 100 miles from Liverpool to the Oval, Caernarfon to raise money in his memory. Josh was a proud supporter of Everton and Caernarfon Town.
Two of the causes his friends wanted to support were Gôl Cymru! and Porthi Dre. To show our appreciation Gôl Cymru! invited a group of young people from Caernarfon for a good meal before taking them to the international match to cheer on Wales.
Cai Larsen, the Chair of Porthi Dre, said, ‘On behalf of Porthi Dre, I would like to say a huge thank you to Gôl Cymru! for their generosity in paying for the meals and offering match tickets for 12 children and four chaperones. This gave the children a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a special day and create happy memories together. Support like this makes a real difference to the children and their families. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has made this possible.’
Helen Lucitt from Gôl Cymru! said, “Having just returned from helping two charities in Portugal and Denmark, it was great to be able to donate to a good cause at home. Porthi’r Dre is a fantastic organisation which serves the local community so well. Huge thanks to Josh’s friends for contributing to this.”
Gôl in Lisbon & Copenhagen – September 2026
A Nations League double header!
As Wales kicked off their Nations League campaign, the supporters’ charity Gôl Cymru! swung back into action. The generous supported two causes – a street football scheme in Portugal and a family domestic abuse refuge in Denmark.
Associação Nacional de Futebol de Rua (ANFR) was founded in 2007 and is dedicated to social inclusion and community development through sport. It creates opportunities and new pathways for children, young people and at-risk populations. It runs various outreach and sports programmes across Portugal, notably the Bola P’ra Frente. Gôl visited one of their projects in Lisbon before the big match donating €1000 to support their work.
Vanda Ramalho from ANFR said, ‘We know how important street football is in Wales and Portugal. This visit allowed the fans to see first-hand our work and demonstrates how sport transcends the white lines of the pitch, building lasting bridges of solidarity between entities from different parts of the world and diverse cultures, proving that everyone shares the same conviction in the transformative power of sport.’
Four days later in Copenhagen Gôl Cymru! supported Kvindehjemmet, Denmark’s largest shelter for women and children who have suffered domestic abuse. The fans visited the scheme the last time Wales played in Denmark. This time they bought raincoats, trousers and shoes for the teenagers and children there.
Kamilla Lonberg from Kvindehjemmet said, ‘We’re really grateful that organisations like yours exist and want to reach out to us. Thank you so much for your donation which will be much appreciated.’
Elin Thomas from Gôl Cymru! said, ‘Gôl Cymru! was really pleased to be able to help both of these charities. We have seen street football here in Wales bringing people together and we were pleased to be able to help similar projects in Portugal. We visited the family refuge in Copenhagen the last time we played Denmark and it is great to hear that the work they are doing with women and children continues.’
Gôl in Bucharest – June 2026
Before Wales’s friendly game against Romania the supporters visited Casa Ioana in Bucharest, a charity dedicated to supporting women and children who are facing domestic abuse and homeless families. The fans saw the amazing work being carried out on a visit to Casa Ioana – Joanne House and made a donation of £1000 towards the work there.
Established in 1995, the Casa Ioana Association empowers survivors of domestic violence and homeless families towards independence. It is the leading independent provider of complex accommodation and support in Bucharest. Activities are designed to support survivors from the moment they leave their abusers until they feel ready to move on.
Casa Ioana is different because it addresses the multiple issues that underlie domestic violence. This highly successful formula offers families opportunities to break out of desperate circumstances and begin their journey towards empowerment and economic independence.
There are 5 full time staff at Casa Ioana and a team of professionals and pro bono volunteers who make a vital contribution to all the services we offer. Ian Tilling OBE,who leads the organisation said, ‘It was a real pleasure to host some of the members of Gôl at Casa Ioana’s Family Centre during their visit to Bucharest. We were able to discuss the importance of our work with vulnerable women and children and have a tour of the Centre. We are very grateful to Gôl and its supporters for their generous donation. We will use it to provide activities for the children in our care. Thank you all for your support!’
Kevin Davies from Gôl Cymru! said, ‘It was a pleasure to meet Ian and to see the facilities at Casa Ioana. We know the harm that domestic abuse and homelessness does, especially to children. This shelter and support makes all the difference to some of the most vulnerable families. We are grateful to the Welsh supporters for their generosity which enables us to help Ian and the team carry on their superb work.’