Amazon backs Darlington Football Club with £25,000 donation

Amazon is teaming up with Darlington FC to fund the growth of the club's community impact programmes

 Amazon's support will boost the club's mental health, disability and young people's programmes

 As part of the programme, Amazon employees from the Darlington fulfilment centre volunteer alongside the Darlington Football Club Foundation on community engagement activities

Amazon has today announced a new, wide-ranging programme with Darlington Football Club and Darlington Football Club Foundation designed to strengthen support for communities across the North East.

The programme, which includes a £25,000 donation from Amazon, will grow Darlington FC's existing programmes that support local people through mental health, disability and youth engagement initiatives.

Amazon's partnership with Darlington FC, which runs through 2027, will also see employees from the Amazon fulfilment centre in the town volunteer at a variety of activities and events run by the club and its Foundation for the benefit of the local community.

Amazon's donation will be used to expand the Foundation's 'Think With Your Feet' mental health football programme. The programme uses football to support adult mental health, providing a safe, informal setting where local people can take part in physical activity while accessing peer support. The funding will also enable the launch of new pan-disability football sessions and support focused engagement with vulnerable children and young people.

“Amazon cares deeply about serving the communities where our employees live and work, and our partnership with Darlington Football Club and its Foundation reflects that," said Jack Docherty, Site Lead of Amazon's Darlington fulfilment centre. “We've been a proud supporter of the Darlington community since we opened our doors here in 2020, and we're delighted to build on that support through this new partnership with Darlington Football Club.”

“This moment marks an important milestone for Darlington Football Club and will help us extend the reach of our programmes to support many more people across our community,” added Mick Dawson, Commercial Director of Darlington Football Club. “It's fantastic to welcome Amazon to the club as a supporter, and we're looking forward to working together to make a positive difference for people across the North East."

Community donations and employee volunteering are just two of the ways Amazon supports the communities where it operates. Amazon co-founded the Multibank initiative with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown to help families in need. The Junction Multibank opened in 2024 in partnership with Middlesbrough charity The Junction. The initiative has distributed more than 12 million surplus goods to over 800,000 families across Wales, Scotland, Greater Manchester, London, Tees Valley and Birmingham. This year, the Multibank will deliver 1 million orders to families across the UK.

Amazon has supported more than one million students across the UK with free STEM education programmes through Amazon Future Engineer and helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good.

Amazon partners with Comic Relief and is the official home of the charity's iconic Red Nose. Together with its employees, customers and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects supporting people across the UK and around the world.

Here's the launch video in which Jack Docherty talks about Amazon's support.

Photo caption: Millie Garnett (Darlington FC Foundation), Jack Docherty (Amazon Darlington) and Mick Dawson (Darlington FC) pictured at the launch of the new sponsorship at Blackwell Meadows.