Pub’s World Cup campaign raises £7,800 for grassroots football teams across Mansfield

A total of £7,800 raised through England World Cup ticket sales at The Swan in Mansfield will support seven grassroots football teams and organisations across the area, paying for kit, equipment, training and chances to take part in the game.

The Swan’s World Cup Fan Park was one of six Carling Fan Parks nationwide, with England matches shown on a 22-metre square screen in the pub’s car park. A ticket charge was introduced for the fixtures, with 50% of proceeds set aside for local grassroots football.

Following the group stages, The Swan donated £1,000 each to Meden Vale Marvels FC, Woodhouse Colts U9 FC and Quarrydale Rangers FC. A further £1,200 each is now being donated from knockout-stage ticket sales to Mansfield Hosiery Mills Youth FC, Market Warsop Boca, Spectrum WASPs and Clipstone Fiorentina Girls FC.

Mansfield Hosiery Mills Youth FC, based in Sutton-in-Ashfield, will use its funding to provide new kit for its under-14 side, which plays in the YEL Saturday leagues. Market Warsop Boca is a new under-nines team being formed for the 2026/27 season. Its donation will help cover kit, equipment and tournament entry as the team gets ready for weekend YEL fixtures.

Spectrum WASPs, a Mansfield children’s charity supporting autistic children and young people with special and additional needs, as well as their siblings and families, will put the money into weekly inclusive football sessions and new kit for the team.

Clipstone Fiorentina Girls FC will use its donation for equipment and training resources. The Clipstone-based side competes in the Derbyshire Girls League and has won back-to-back league titles over the past two seasons, earning promotion to League One.

The earlier donations have helped Woodhouse Colts U9 FC with playing kit, rain jackets and tournament experiences, while Quarrydale Rangers FC is using its funding to support tournament participation. Meden Vale Marvels FC, a PAN disability football team, will use its donation for training kit for its players.

Jonty Gerlach, landlord at The Swan, said they had been delighted to be a part of the campaign.

“Seeing supporters come together for England has been brilliant, but the best part has been knowing that the ticket money is going straight back into local football,” he said.

“These clubs and groups give young people a team, a routine and a place where they can feel part of something. From a new under-nines side to inclusive sessions and a girls’ team doing really well, it’s a proper mix of what grassroots football looks like around Mansfield.”

The seven awards bring the campaign total to £7,800, helping local teams at different stages of development and supporting opportunities for children and young people to play football in their community.