Today, YouTube collective The Sidemen have officially announced that their charity football match will be returning for the fifth instalment, taking place on 9th September, where millions of fans are expected to tune in to the match both online and in person.
The highly anticipated charity event which was first hosted in 2016 has since become a regular extravaganza, with last year’s match amassing a whopping 2.6 million concurrent views and over 18 million views in the first 24 hours. This year will see the return of some of the biggest names from the world of YouTube, music and sports, which will see players raise money for charities up and down the country.
Whilst the most recent event was held at The Valley Stadium in South London, home ground of Charlton Athletic F.C, this year The Sidemen have scaled up for their largest crowd yet, and will be playing in front of a remarkable 62,000 fans at the iconic London Stadium, home to the 2012 Olympics over a decade ago. Compared to last year’s 25,000 supporters, this is a momentous step-up for the event, which had over 170,000 people queuing online for tickets to last year’s match. With more than £1 million raised for charities across the country in 2022, this year all proceeds of the event will be donated to charities including suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), youth charity Teenage Cancer Trust and wish-granting charity, Rays of Sunshine.
Whilst players of the plinko game have not yet been revealed, if last years line up is anything to go by, fans can expect some of the biggest entertainment stars in the business – with Mr Beast, Chunkz, Yung Filly, JME and iShowSpeed on the pitch for the 2022 match, which resulted in a victorious win from Sidemen FC edging a 8-7 scoreline.
Tickets will be going on sale to the public in July and fans can also expect surprise acts throughout the show, with live performances and celebrity hosts yet to be revealed. For those unable to get their hands on tickets, fans will be able to catch all the live-streamed action on the Sidemen YouTube channel.
Joshua Bradley aka Zerkaa, The Sidemen says: “This is a major milestone for us. When we first set up this event back in 2016, we never thought we’d be playing in a stadium of over 62,000 people. Not only are we able to give back to our loyal fans, but being able to raise further funds for charities that are so close to our hearts give us a lot to be proud and thankful for. We can’t wait to see all of you in September.”
Graham Gilmore, CEO of London Stadium, says: “This event goes from strength to strength, with the move to London Stadium demonstrating the success The Sidemen have built over recent years, not only in bringing so many great names together, but raising money for important charities too. In addition, we will be delighted to welcome the huge global audience on streaming and digital channels, who will be joining the 60k plus fans in the Stadium!”
The event will take place on 9th September and tickets will go on sale in July 2023. Ticket information will be available on https://www.sidemenfc.com
