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ore and more, sports stars are finding themselves near the top of the annual rich lists, jostling alongside entrepreneurs, actors and oligarchs. The best command six-figure sums not just in prize money, but from lucrative endorsements ranging from clothing to technology. But far from sitting on their fortunes, these sports stars are working for and donating to charity. “A lot of athletes are doing a lot of work in this field,” confirms Gary Stannett, the chief executive of Active Communities Network, a sports-based charity that works with young people from deprived backgrounds. “They either give their time to established charities like the Prince’s Trust [the Prince of Wales’ youth charity] or they set up their own foundation.” In fact, in the past 12 months three UK Premiership players – Manchester United’s Michael Carrick, Watford’s Troy Deeney and Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy – have all set up organizations dedicated, in different ways, to creating opportunities for people who are less fortunate than them. In the case of Vardy, the striker who was at the heart of Leicester City’s fairy-tale season last year when the 5000-1 outsiders won the Premier League, it is an academy to give non-league players a chance to break into the professional game. Deeney’s foundation aims to raise money for children with learning disabilities, while Carrick’s looks to help children in deprived communities in Manchester and Newcastle in the UK. Another footballing hero, Ronaldinho, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and twice won La Liga with Barcelona, has set up
92 Baku.
