It was a particularly tough 2025/26 season. With 42 points from 46 games, the Valiants fell seven points short – and many goals – of staying up. At the other end, Lincoln City blitzed expectations with 103 points to lead by 12 points over big-money Cardiff City.
It was a crazy season of highs and lows, but now L2 will be the team’s home for at least one season. Manager Jon Brady was quoted as saying that the club is strong enough to bounce back next season. Even so, it’s a blow to the club and fans.
The Vale, however, do have the perfect avenue to rekindle some favour before the new season kicks off thanks to their award-winning charity organisation, the Foundation.
A New Star Ambassador to Spur on the Foundation
🗣️ "The Railway Paddock raised me…"
Watch the full interview with @robbiewilliams on PVTV as we discuss the new partnership, being a foundation ambassador, home and more.
👉 https://t.co/30LLfhAkUV#PVFC | #RobbieWilliams pic.twitter.com/RsPLy0hCzd
— Port Vale Football Club (@OfficialPVFC) June 12, 2026
A fan of the club for all his life, Robbie Williams has been announced as a major new part of the club and its charity. The charismatic singer will be the official front-of-shirt partner of the club for the next two seasons.
On top of having RW on the shirts, Williams will also take up a role as Foundation Ambassador. With this title, he’ll work to shine a light on all of the incredible charity pursuits of the Port Vale FC Foundation.
Already, the foundation does a lot of headline-catching work to give back to the community. Last Christmas, for example, 150 people were cooked Christmas Dinner, adding to the 250 who were given gifts by the club.
Their efforts continue to draw plaudits. Most recently, the Foundation won the EFL League 1 Project of the Year award in 2024, which added to the 2021 EFL Community Club of the Year award.
WE HAVE BEEN NAMED THE OVERALL EFL COMMUNITY CLUB OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/dW6GqNzos8
— Port Vale Foundation (@PVFCFoundation) April 29, 2021
Over the summer, the events list was headlined by An Evening with Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock, which charged £35 per ticket, gave fans sharing platters, and granted access to the Valiant Suite at Vale Park.
Doubling Down on Charity Events and Fundraisers
The Foundation does a lot throughout the year, and hopefully, they’ll be doing even more in 2026/27. There’ll be a desire around the fan base to engage more with the club and spur on general merriment after relegation.
A regular go-to for many fundraising events, particularly those on a smaller budget, is bingo. Many sports teams and community organisers host bingo nights, especially now that the game has ticked up in popularity online.
The range of bingo games UK players can now access spans Deal or No Deal, Age of the Gods, Route 75, and even Bouncy Balls Bingo. This broadening of themes has helped to grow the audience and create a new interest in playing.
Of course, for more out-there efforts, it’s best to look to the major league teams of North America as an example. The Sharks Foundation of the NHL sells mystery signed pucks for $30 each to raise cash for the charity.
In the NFL, the Miami Dolphins host an annual grant for non-profits serving underserved communities of $50,000. Then, the Seattle Mariners of the MLB support grassroots teams in the local area.
It’ll be a tough season ahead for the Port Vale faithful. Getting out of League Two isn’t easy. Even so, at least the foundation can continue to do great work around the club and benefit the community even further.
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