Haringey Hounds:

Aim

On 20 June 2026, the Haringey Hounds are taking on the Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace — our home turf!

On 20 June 2026, the Haringey Hounds are taking on the Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace — our home turf — in a wildly hockey-themed cart built by our own volunteers, coaches and parents.

Why are we doing it? Because it is gloriously bonkers, brilliantly visible, and exactly the kind of moment that can help a small community club punch above its weight. We want to raise vital funds, bring new families into the Hounds, and show North London that this club is inclusive, ambitious and full of heart.

Yes, we are seriously considering sending a giant hockey puck, boot or mini-Zamboni down a hill. No, we have not completely lost the plot.

 Who we are

We’re inclusive

Haringey Hounds is a registered UK charity based at Alexandra Palace, welcoming boys and girls aged 5–18. We are proud of our multicultural, multi-faith community and the fact that children from very different backgrounds can pull on the same jersey, skate the same drills, and belong to the same team.

Illustrative words like these from our families inspire everything we do:
Parent: “Before the Hounds, my child never really felt that sport was for them. Now they count the days until training.”

We’re historic

We skate out of Alexandra Palace, one of North London’s most iconic venues. Ice hockey in Haringey stretches back to the 1930s, and the old Haringey Racers were part of the sport’s early broadcasting history. The current Hounds club has served the local community for more than 30 years.

We’re brilliant for kids

Ice hockey gives young people more than exercise. It teaches resilience, focus, discipline, teamwork and how to keep going when things get hard. The club’s work in youth development was recognised with the EIHA Chairman South Development Award in 2018.

 Why we need your help

The Hounds are growing. We are building our younger age groups, widening our pathway, and giving more children in North London the chance to play a fast, demanding and brilliant team sport. But ice hockey is not a cheap sport to run, and a volunteer-led junior charity feels every extra hour of ice, every away trip, every piece of kit, and every coaching gap.

Our club is run entirely by volunteers. Families already give huge amounts of time, energy and commitment. But goodwill alone does not pay for ice time, specialist coaching, travel, or hardship support.

That is the real challenge: not a lack of ambition, but the cost of turning ambition into opportunity. We need to fund a part-time development coach for at least one full season so our growing U10 and U12 groups get the structure, attention and support they deserve.

 What your money will do

Small goals and training equipment for U10/U12 — about £1,500
New small goals, passing aids, shooting targets and age-appropriate training kit will give our youngest players a safer and better environment to learn core skills from day one.

Away travel subsidies — about £2,500
We want to make sure no child misses a match because the travel bill is too much. This fund will help families with transport costs for long-distance away fixtures across the season.

Part-time development coach for one season — about £9,500
This is the big one. A dedicated development coach will help run structured sessions for younger age groups, support volunteers, and build a stronger pathway through the club.

Additional ice time — about £4,500
More players means we need more room to train properly. Extra ice time will let us split groups better, improve session quality, and create more opportunities for younger or newer skaters.

Bursary and hardship fund — about £2,000
We never want money to be the reason a child stops playing. This pot will help reduce or waive fees for players from low-income families and respond quickly when families hit a rough patch.

F. And there’s more we want to do

Build the soapbox itself — about £2,500
Materials, fabrication, paint, safety checks and all the practical bits needed to build a hockey-themed machine that can survive Ally Pally’s hill with at least some dignity.

Club kit and identity for new younger players — about £2,000
Branded training kit helps new players feel part of the club from day one. Belonging matters — especially when a child is trying a sport that can feel intimidating at first.

Digital and communications upgrade — about £1,500
A simple website refresh and better social media tools will help us recruit new members, tell our story properly, and keep families better connected.

Referee and official development — about £1,200
As the club grows, we need to grow the people around the game too. Funding training and accreditation for volunteer officials will help us support more fixtures and strengthen the whole pathway.

 Three ways to help

Make a pledge
Every donation helps, and early momentum matters even more. We have applied to Sport England’s Movement Fund through Crowdfunder, so if that application is successful, early donations could help unlock matched funding once the campaign reaches the required threshold.

Spread the word
Share the campaign. Tell your friends. Bring your family. And on 20 June 2026, come to Alexandra Palace and cheer the Hounds down the hill like it is Game 7 and gravity is on our side.

Get your business involved
Sponsor the soapbox, donate a reward, or back the campaign publicly. It is a fun local story, a strong community cause, and a very decent way for a business to support young people in North London.

H. Reward tiers

£5 — digital supporter badge + social media shout-out
£25 — Haringey Hounds sticker pack + name printed on the soapbox
£50 — one child’s ice taster session (accompanied, at Alexandra Palace)
£100 — family match day experience for 4, including rinkside viewing
£250 — business sponsor package: logo on the soapbox + 3 social media mentions during race week

Target and stretch target recommendation

Recommended initial target: £10,000

I think we should start with £10,000 as the public target. It is achievable, creates stronger early momentum, and makes the campaign feel winnable from day one rather than asking people to climb Everest in flip-flops.

It also works well from a match-funding perspective, because 25% of £10,000 is £2,500— a much more realistic threshold to hit quickly if Sport England support comes through. That gives us a better chance of building urgency, showing traction early, and then pushing hard beyond target once momentum is there.

A £10,000 opening target would allow us to prioritise:

• Part-funding the development coach

• Purchasing small goals and U10/U12 training equipment

• Starting the travel support and hardship fund

• Covering some additional ice time

Suggested wording for the page:

Our first goal is £10,000 — enough to fund the first key steps in our growth, including younger player development, equipment, and support for families. If we go beyond that, we can do even more to strengthen the club for the season ahead.

Recommended stretch target: £20,000–£30,000

Once the initial target is reached, we can push the campaign into stretch territory.

£20,000 would allow us to fully fund the five core commitments:

• Small goals and U10/U12 equipment — £1,500

• Away travel subsidies — £2,500

• Part-time development coach — £9,500

• Additional ice time — £4,500

• Bursary / hardship fund — £2,000

Total: £20,000

£30,000 would allow the club to go further and fund the wider legacy items too:

• Soapbox build and fabrication — £2,500

• Branded starter kit for younger players — £2,000

• Website refresh and stronger digital communications — £1,500

• Referee / official development — £1,200

• Extra contingency / expanded bursary / more ice time — £2,800

Suggested wording for the page:

If we hit £10,000 quickly, we won’t stop there. Reaching £20,000 would fully fund our core season priorities, and if we get to £30,000, we can also invest in the soapbox build, club identity, digital communications and wider development across the Hounds pathway.

This project successfully funded on 1st June 2024