Fans of a Premier League club who are owed ticket refunds after it was decided remaining games will be played behind closed doors have been given the option of donating to the club’s foundation instead.

Crystal Palace supporters who have season tickets, or individual match tickets, can support the work of the club’s official charitable arm, Palace for Life Foundation, which supports more than 14,000 young people each year – for example many living with a disability or families struggling to provide healthy food for their children.

The initiative follows confirmation from the Government that games must be played without fans in the stadium because of Coronavirus.

Donations to the Foundation will be used in areas such as mental health support, training and employment for under-25s struggling to find work and one-to-one mentoring for those at risk of being caught up in violent crime.

Mike Summers, CEO of Palace for Life Foundation, said: “At the moment, many of our staff cannot carry out face-to-face work and are instead using innovative methods like video gaming to stay in touch with those who need our help. We also have coaches in local primary schools, supporting the children of key workers. We are very proud to be playing a big part in the Palace Kitchen, where club chefs are cooking 1,500 meals a week at Selhurst Park for those in most need in our community.

“Our work is never done and sadly there are many more families and young people that we could be helping. With these donations from fans, we will continue to work hard and play our part in rebuilding the south London communities hit worst by COVID-19, helping more young people look forward to a brighter future.”

Fans who opt to donate to Palace for Life Foundation will be thanked publicly on a digital ‘Supporters’ Wall’ at www.palaceforlife.org and receive a personalised message of thanks.

To more about the Palace for Life Foundation visit its page on the ConnectSport directory. To add your organisation for free, contact hello@connectsport.co.uk.

Pic credit: Palace for Life Foundation.