Corporate Responsibility team blog

Football and Finance – A match made in heaven!

CR 27 July 2011
Subjects: Event 

As part of Aviva’s volunteering programme, we recently hosted ‘Footie Finance’ at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, in London.

Becky Rose from the UK corporate responsibility team updates on the days events.

Footie Finance is a community programme that was developed by Aviva and the Community Sports foundation four years ago. The programme runs regularly in Norwich, as part of our sponsorship of Norwich City Football Club.

Using football and some of the business decision-making scenarios of running a football club, Footie Finance teaches young people some practical mathematics, communication and business skills – with some real football thrown in too!

The programme aims to develop children’s understanding and awareness of the importance of business and finance. This time it was held at Emirates Stadium with 16 children from Swanslea School in Tower Hamlets joining our Aviva volunteers Pat Regan, Jason Windsor, Jonathan Price and Mike Barber.

In the morning session, the children had to produce a presentation on how they would increase the income of a premiership football club. Each team then presented their ideas to the Board of Directors (our Aviva volunteers).

In the afternoon there was a football tournament with the teams converting points won in the business session into goals. The Aviva executive volunteers acted as goal keepers and referees.

Pat Regan, Aviva group CFO, said: ‘This is a great opportunity for children to learn in a very different environment, and I was impressed with the children’s commercial awareness, confidence, teamwork and budgeting skills. To be able to do it in a location such as the Emirates Stadium was also spectacular, and the chance to play some football too was a real highlight’.

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