SOUTHAMPTON'S main club partner, Sportsbet.io, has donated their shirt sponsorship to Saints Foundation for the upcoming clash against Fulham, alongside pledging to match funds raised by supporters of up to £10,000.

Saints Foundation’s logo will be displayed across the men’s first team’s shirts during the match at St Mary’s on Saturday, May 13, with the worn shirts being auctioned post-game to raise vital funds for the charity.

Fans have the opportunity to win one of the limited edition shirts by entering Saints Foundation’s prize draw. The draw will run from May 9-14, and entrants have a chance of winning a hospitality box for up to 10 people at a future men’s first-team game.

In addition, Sportsbet.io will match what the draw raises up to £10,000 worth of donations.

The charity matchday will give Saints Foundation the platform to focus on mental health as the game falls in the lead-up to Mental Health Awareness Week (May 15-21).

As part of Saints Foundation’s new plan to support Southampton, they have committed to improving the well-being of every participant, regardless of their age or the project they are engaged with. This appeal will provide vital funds to make their vision a reality.

Last year, 64 per cent of adults across Saints Foundations projects boosted their mental well-being. This season, Saints Foundation launched Saints By Your Side, their first programme focused solely on supporting mental health. 

Saints Foundation are asking for a suggested donation of £5 per entry and for fans to show their support by donating £20 if they can. By donating £20 this will give a whole week’s worth of mental health support to a Saints By Your Side participant.

If Saints Foundation can reach its £10,000 target this charity matchday, your generosity could pay for the team to run two months’ worth of group and 1:1 mental health support for a group of adult men on the Saints By Your Side programme.

Joe McCallum, head of gaming at Yolo Group said: “I am delighted to see our partnership with Saints Foundation come to fruition. By donating our shirt sponsorship, we hope to make a positive impact on the community and help raise vital funds for the foundation.

"We believe that sport has the power to bring people together and support important causes, and we are proud to be a part of this charity match-day. We encourage all fans to show their support for Saints Foundation by entering the prize draw and donating generously to this worthy cause.”

Greg Baker, chief executive officer of Saints Foundation and Director of Community at Southampton Football Club said: “We are extremely grateful to Sportsbet.io for this opportunity they have provided to us.

"This act of generosity will help us raise vital funds for those most in need, particularly as our statistics show that mental illness such as depression is nearly twice as high in Southampton as the national average.

“No doubt the thousands of participants who Saints Foundation support annually will be immensely proud to see the team take to the pitch displaying the charity’s logo on Saturday, May 13 and we can’t thank our local community enough for their continued support during these tough times.”

The announcement of the charity matchday comes off the back of Saints Foundation launching its new strategy for supporting Southampton.

Moving forward, Saints Foundation will work across five key focus areas – health, education, gender equality, employability and pathways – all with the overall goal of supporting people in Southampton that feel the impact of inequalities the most.

To find out more and to enter into the prize draw please visit Saints Foundation’s website: southamptonfc.com/saints-foundation