In the run up to Soccer Aid 2010, the man behind the it all, Robbie Williams, is setting you a challenge: to help the world’s poorest children and Keep it Up for Soccer Aid.
Returning from a visit to Haiti with UNICEF, where he made an appeal film which will be shown in full during the Soccer Aid match on Sunday 6 June, Robbie, a UNICEF UK Ambassador, said:
“Everyone knows I’m a massive football fan, and now I’m asking everyone to join Keep it Up for Soccer Aid. It’s really simple: do as many sponsored keepy uppys as you can and raise bucket loads of money to help make a real difference to the lives of kids all over the world, including the fantastic young people that I met in Haiti.”
Watch the video below in which Robbie introduces Keep It Up For Soccer Aid from Haiti
So, what is a 'keepy-uppy'?
Keepy-uppy is the skill of using your feet, legs, knees, chest, shoulders and head to juggle a ball without allowing it to hit the ground. It's not easy, but it's a lot of fun trying! Check out Robbie below.
Sound impossible?
Don’t worry if football skills aren’t your thing. Whether you’re a beginner, a pro or have two left feet there’s a Keep it Up for Soccer Aid challenge for you. Choose your challenge today - scroll down for some ideas we've put together to get the ball rolling!
Raise over £50 and you could be at Soccer Aid as a VIP!
Raise at least £50 and send your money in to UNICEF by Monday 31 May and you will be put into the draw to win a VIP Soccer Aid experience, including the chance to meet the players at their training session in London and a trip to Old Trafford to watch the match at the Theatre Of Dreams.
Share your photos and videos
Don't forget to capture your historic moment of perfecting your keepy-uppys on camera - whether you take photos or shoot a short video, we want to see it all!
You can add your photos and videos to both RobbieWilliams.com (just log in to add them to your profile) and to SoccerAid.org.uk.
Share your photos and videos of your keepy-uppy capers and we’ll put our favourites in the Keepy-Uppy Hall of Fame.
For more information and to register online visit www.socceraid.org.uk/keepitup.
Choose your challenge
There’s a Keep it Up for Soccer Aid challenge for everyone - whether you're a rising football star, or you can't tell your off-side from your backside. We've got the ball rolling with a few ideas for you to choose from below, or of course you can think up your own new and unique challenge. Once you're decided what your challenge will be, register it online at Soccer Aid's website.
For the pros (think Pele, Maradona, Beckham!)
1. Take on Robbie Williams’ challenge and set yourself a difficult keepy-uppy goal.
2. Make the challenge even harder by using a tennis ball!
3. Try to do as many keepy-uppys as you can blindfolded.
4. Practice for the World Cup and shoot sponsored penalties too.
5. Challenge yourself to an hour of keepy-uppys.
For the beginners (think Brooklyn Beckham, Kai Rooney!)
Challenge your friends or colleagues to Keep it Up for Soccer Aid and set yourself a fundraising target.
1. Organise the biggest keepy-uppy event your town has ever seen.
2. Do keepy-uppys in fancy dress.
3. Dribble a football from home to school or work.
4. Have a keepy-uppy competition at work with colleagues and charge an entry fee to help you reach your target.
5. Try keepy-uppys with a balloon.
6. Set a realistic target like five or ten keepy uppys in a row and get practising.
Keep it Up for everyone
If you aren’t a keepy-uppy pro or have two left feet there are lots of ways that you can get involved, get fit and raise funds. Why not set yourself a challenge by making a healthy living pledge and Keep it Up for Soccer Aid.
1. Give up chocolate / TV / alcohol for 6 weeks and keep it up!
2. Keep up walking, running or cycling to school or work for a whole month.
Remember to register your challenge online at www.socceraid.org.uk/keepitup.
When you register for Soccer Aid 2010, UNICEF UK will send you a t-shirt and fundraising pack to help you get started with your chosen challenge.
We want to see you - grab your camera!
Whether you’ve dressed up as a doughnut, done four thousand keepy-uppys or got your whole school or workplace involved, we want to see what you’ve been up to.
Upload your videos and photos along with a description of your challenge to YouTube and Flickr and Soccer Aid will share them with fellow fundraisers on the Keep it Up for Soccer Aid group and channel. Their favourite photos and videos will also be featured in the Hall of Fame! Don't forget too, that you can add your photos and videos to RobbieWilliams.com by logging in to your account. Be sure to tag your uploads 'Keep It Up For Soccer Aid 2010' so we can find them!
How to upload your video to YouTube
If you don’t already have a YouTube (or Google) account, creating one is quick and easy. Go to www.youtube.com and click on ‘Create an account’ and follow the instructions.
When you are logged into your account, click on the ‘Upload’ button, select your file and follow the steps.
You may also be able to upload videos directly from your mobile phone or iPhone. You will need to go into your YouTube account settings and click on ‘Mobile set up’ to find instructions how to do this.
Once you have uploaded your video, please click on ‘Share’ beneath your video and choose ‘Email’. In the ‘To’ box put keepitup4socceraid. We can then share it with everyone else who’s taking part in the challenge.
How to upload your photo to Flickr
If you don’t already have a Flickr (or Yahoo) account, creating one is quick and easy. Go to www.flickr.com and click on ‘Create your account’ and follow the instructions.
Once you have your account up and running you can upload your photos by clicking on ‘Upload photos and videos’ and following the instructions.
Next you will need to add them to the UNICEF Keep it Up group. Go to www.flikr.com/photos/socceraid and click on ‘Add something’. Click on the photos you want to add (up to 6) and click ‘Add to group’.
A note on video approval and sharing
All photos and videos posted on the UNICEF and Keep it Up for Soccer Aid YouTube channel and Facebook group will need to be approved. Your photos and videos will not show until they have been checked and approved them.
UNICEF will share selected videos on the Soccer Aid website and partner sites.