Sligo Rovers are delighted to announce that the Showgrounds will be a collection point for the Our Shoes campaign.
From Monday April 29th until Friday May 3rd the public are encouraged to drop off all of their pre-loved children’s sports shoes and football boots between the hours of 9.30 am and 5.30pm at the Showgrounds.
Our Shoes was set up in 2019 after Ciarán McHugh, Kevin Grant and Geoff Lockwood visited the Khayelitsha township in Cape Town in South Africa which is home to 2.4 million people.
Our Shoes initially ran two pilot appeals which saw the donation of 15,000 pairs of sports shoes which had outlived their intended use in Ireland, but which still have lots of life left in them. In 2023 children in over 300 Irish schools donated 20,000 pairs of shoes to the kids in the townships.
With the help of their partners Our Shoes ship thousands of shoes to South Africa on an annual basis where they are distributed to some of the most deserving kids in the townships. While the group is very welcoming of all donations of all sports shoes for children there is also a particular focus on pre-loved football boots that would enable the many talented players in the townships to play football safely.

Ciaran McHugh from Our Shoes said “A pair of shoes is often the difference between a hopeful or bleak future. Shoes are more than something that keep your feet safe and warm.  Like most countries, you need shoes to go to school in South Africa. Along with shoes being part of the school uniform, they also allow learners safety and provide a sense of self-esteem and dignity. and they are often the most difficult item to get in materially poor communities. We are delighted to partner with Sligo Rovers on this campaign and we are asking the public in the region to donate as many of your preloved children’s sports shoes and football boots to the Showgrounds. It has a real impact on so many lives.

Sligo Rovers FSR officer Jamie Murphy said ” It’s a privilege to team up with Ciaran and the Our Shoes campaign. As a community club we are well aware of the power that football and sport in general can have in creating meaningful change in the lives of people, in particular people from marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds. From speaking with Ciaran we are well aware of the fantastic impact Our Shoes have on many thousands children and we want to help with that it whatever way we can. In terms of sustainability and reducing the impact that football has on the climate it’s also a fantastic campaign. Because of all of the different types of synthetic materials needed to produce a pair of sports shoes or boots they are almost impossible to recycle. They have a huge carbon footprint and by donating them to kids in townships you are helping to create a more sustainable future for us all.