Tuesday 19th June 2018
If the RAF Sports Lottery does not generate an additional 15,000 tickets into the game by 30 June 2018 then funding into sports across the RAF will be drastically cut.
The RAF Sports Lottery is the only fundraising resource that the RAF Central Fund charity has to generate funding to support access to sport across the RAF.
Over the past four years the RAF Sports Lottery has been transformed. It started out back in 1993 as paper-based game, linked in with your pay (JPA) which took months to amend anything regarding your play. This game could also only grow so far. If you left the RAF, then you could no longer play in the same way, so it could only generate a limited amount of funding for sport based on the serving population.
After 18 months suspension, in April 2016, the RAF Central Fund launched the new online RAF Sports Lottery game. Registration for this new game is only available via the website at www.rafcf.org.uk but it means that players can sign up to the game from anywhere in the world, as well as anyone former serving too. By accepting former serving RAF to the game, it gives the chance for the Lottery to grow further than it could in the old format and generate more funding for sport. The weekly prize pot also grew to a huge £25,000 per week across 10 prizes!
Since the new game has commenced, demand for funding has increased year-on-year, through more people getting involved with sport and via word of mouth. In 2014 the Central Fund awarded £1.73million through Sports Grants to Stations, Individuals and RAF Sports Associations and in 2018 we have committed £2.4million.
With the demand increasing beyond the planned growth of the new game, it means that we now need an additional 15,000 tickets in the lottery, to be in play by 30 June 2018, in order to safeguard funding into the future. While the new game established itself, the RAF Central Fund have used charitable reserves to top-up funding, ensuring sport funding was not cut to date. However, the Fund cannot afford to continue using its reserves and as it stands, funding will be drastically cut if the lottery doesn’t grow to match the demand.
We cannot continue to do this without you so now is the time to take action… the future for sport in the RAF is in your hands… now is the time to sign up to the new RAF Sports Lottery.
If you think you still play through JPA (your pay), you have not been in the game for 3 years and you have to re-register online – no one was automatically transferred to the new game.
Any RAF Reserve Forces are also welcome to play, as well as any former Serving RAF too. The whole RAF Community are needed to ensure this crucial funding is available for you now and into the future.
For those of you who already play the new Sports Lottery, we are extremely grateful. Please can we now ask for your help in raising awareness about the game and sharing the importance to register for the game amongst colleagues and friends? We need everyone’s support to make this work.
For the latest news and updates please follow us on Facebook and Twitter @RAFCentralFund or visit our website at rafcf.org.uk to register for the game.
If you would like any resources to help share our message, please contact us at [email protected]
Can family members join?
The short answer is sadly no and the reason for that is due to the cost (£120k of cost) of bringing in age verification software which would be needed for every player to prove they are over 16 years of age. Serving personnel have to be 16 years or older so already tick that required box. It’s something for the future but the Lottery needs to get back up and settled before making this investment.
