Southampton vow to give festive Premier League revenue to charity

Southampton have vowed to give a percentage of its matchday revenues over the festive period to a charity.

Mary's Meals provides meals on a daily basis to well over a million under privileged children across the world and is one of Saints' chosen charities.

Saints owner Katharina Liebherr reportedly stumbled across the charity having read about it in a newspaper and liked the organisation's cause as well as it's name tying in with the home of Southampton - St. Mary's. As a result, she offered her support to the charity.

Over the Christmas period, the Saints squad will be sporting training gear with Mary's Meals' logo emblazoned on them, while there will be various fundraising drives.

Southampton host North London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal over the festive footballing calendar - two ties which will certainly see a sell-out St. Mary's crowd and help the charity's cause further.

Other than the fundraising drives, money will come from retail, food, drink and programme sales at the stadium, while the UK Government have agreed to match the amount of money raised by 28 December.

Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger said: "As a club we entertain thousands of people on a regular basis and we feel we have a responsibility. Not only can we support Mary's Meals to help strengthen their financial situation, but more than that we can offer our time.

"If we can help Mary's Meals grow as a name and a brand around the UK and around the world, then that is the biggest gift we can give to them.

"When you hear that £12.20 can feed a child for an entire school year with Mary's Meals, how can you not want to become a part of that?"