With today marking the start of the 2026 football World Cup, former Birmingham City and Coventry City striker Dele Adebola is calling on youth football coaches in and around the city to sign up for the chance to secure £1,000 for new kit through Severn Trent Community Fund’s Kits for Kids initiative.

The water company’s Community Fund is backing young footballers with £80,000, which will be donated to 80 different grassroots teams across Coventry and Birmingham.

Adebola, who played for Birmingham in the late 90s and Coventry in the early 2000s, said: “I was fortunate enough to make it as a professional footballer and do something most children only dream about.

“Through my work now in grassroots sport, coaching and supporting young people, I’ve been able to see first-hand just how important these teams are to children and their families.

“We want to encourage as much participation in sport as possible, and Severn Trent’s Kits for Kids is a great way to support families and children who may be put off joining clubs due to the cost.”

Paul Evans, Community Lead at Severn Trent, said their Community Fund Kits for Kids campaign is initially focusing on supporting teams in Coventry and Birmingham with the hope that it develops further across the Severn Trent region.

“With the start of England’s and Scotland’s World Cup campaigns looming, we will see football bringing people together. It is at the heart of so many communities,” says Paul.

“We want to help give more children the chance to get involved, feel part of a team and enjoy the game they love.

“Kits for Kids is about supporting youth clubs so they can continue to do what they do best – creating opportunities for young people and getting more children on the pitch. It is about making sure more children can be part of that, especially those who might otherwise miss out because of cost.”

Kits for Kids will give teams whose applications are successful £1,000 towards their new football strips for the 2026/27 season.

A 2025 report into grassroots football by sports equipment company Forza found that 72% of grassroots football clubs say they don’t have enough funding.

Now, Severn Trent’s Community Fund is hoping to encourage more children to play at their local clubs, feel included and support families with rising costs.

All individual Birmingham team from clubs based in B1 to B37 and Coventry teams from clubs based in CV1 to CV7 postcode areas with players 16 and under can apply.

Applications are open until June 21, and managers can find out more details through the Severn Trent website.

Visit the Kits for Kids page on the Severn Trent website to check eligibility and submit an application.

Severn Trent’s Community Fund has donated more than £800,000 across Coventry and Warwickshire since 2020 to support charities and community groups.

Since it was created in 2020 to support local community groups and charities, the fund has donated more than £13m, supporting more than 6.5m people.

By 2030, the Community Fund will have donated more than £20 million across the entire Severn Trent region. For more information visit www.stwater.co.uk

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·       The Kits for Kids applications are only specific to Coventry and Birmingham as Severn Trent explores the initiative on a trial basis in its first year, before hopefully opening it up to its whole region in the future.

·       To apply, please visit the Severn Trent website. To apply you must be:

o   The manager of the team, at under 16 age or below (parents are not eligible to apply, the application must come from the manager)

o   Based (teams’ location) in the B1-B37 or CV1-CV7 postcode areas of Birmingham and Coventry