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Last season, Harry Kane did something unexpected and extremely cool — he sponsored the front of the kits for a League Two club. Leyton Orient was one of the first clubs to take a chance on Kane when he went there on loan in 2011, and he never forgot it. This season Orient took the field with three charities chosen by Kane on the fronts of their kits, with proceeds from shirt sales benefitting those charities.
This season he’s doing it again. Orient announced today on their website and social media that Kane has extended his kit sponsorship with new charities, the first one being Tommy Club, a charity run by the Royal British Legion that serves to aid and support “the most vulnerable Armed Forces Veterans.”
The O's are thrilled to announce @HKane’s return and the first front of shirt charity partner for 2021/22: @RBLI #TommyClub #LOFC
— Leyton Orient (@leytonorientfc) May 6, 2021
10% of the proceeds from this year’s Orient home kit will go to Tommy Club. I’d anticipate that the aways and third kits will have different charitable organizations of Kane’s choosing, to be announced later.
I thought it was a cool idea last year when Kane did this, and I still like it. Kane is an extremely wealthy footballer who has always been a supporter of lower-league football. In a time when a lot of lower-league clubs are in serious financial trouble thanks to COVID, it’s neat to see a professional footballer directly benefit a club that’s important to him and help out a charity at the same time.
In a statement, Kane said the following:
“I am thrilled to be donating the Leyton Orient FC home shirt to Tommy Club. I am a proud ambassador of the charity and know how every new champion can make a difference. Together we can improve the lives of our nation’s heroes.”
The kits are available for pre-order on Orient’s website.