16.02.2026
The recent charity football tournament, Energy Cup – Spring 2025, organized by Energy Club, reminded me of similar sporting initiatives in Great Britain during the Second World War.
At that time, miners were a key element of the British war economy, and football helped maintain their morale while raising funds for military charities. Sports did not stop during the war: leagues were reorganized into regional divisions (such as the Wartime League), and matches were charitable in nature. In May 1943, a match at Chelsea’s stadium drew 55,000 spectators and raised £8,000 (equivalent to approximately £400,000 today) for the Navy Welfare League.
But the true parallel lies in the unifying public initiative of that era: the “Spitfire Fund.” Imagine: in 1940, when Britain stood on the brink of defeat, ordinary people—from miners and teachers to children and business owners—raised funds for combat aircraft. The cost of a single Spitfire fighter was estimated at £5,000 (about £250,000 today), while a four-engine giant like the Avro Lancaster bomber cost up to £40,000.
Cities, trade unions, and communities competed in creativity: in the village of Market Lavington in Wiltshire, people outlined the silhouette of a Spitfire in the square and filled it with coins. Despite unemployment, Durham miners raised enough for two fighters. Canadian businessman Garfield Weston donated eight Spitfires at once, launching a wave of contributions. Every plane was named after its sponsor—“City of Leicester,” “Dorothy of Great Britain and Empire,” or even the “Fellowship of the Bellows” from blacksmith guilds. In total, £13 million was raised (equivalent to £650 million today), financing thousands of aircraft that became the shield in the skies over Britain.
As we can see, over 80 years ago, sporting events were used to raise funds for bombers and fighters. Today, we raise funds for a new form of repelling aggression—unmanned systems for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which precisely and ruthlessly destroy an enemy that is essentially the same as the one faced back then.
Eras change, and times pass, but history teaches us that a united society is the best shield against the chaos of barbarism. That is why our code is unity, and each of us is a warrior, regardless of profession. We are a nation that became an army!
