As tens of thousands of fans prepare to fill London’s Wembley Stadium this Sunday for the 2024/25 Emirates FA Community Shield clash between Crystal Palace and Liverpool, a powerful message from South Africa’s National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) will quietly cut through the roar of the crowd:
“The game is loud. Drowning is silent. Let’s change that score.”
The NSRI has partnered with the iconic sporting event to spotlight a devastating yet often overlooked crisis — drowning. The organisation’s campaign will feature on the stadium’s LED boards at 16:00 on Sunday, 10 August, delivering a stark reminder amid the celebration of football.
A Silent Epidemic
Drowning claims the lives of an estimated 66,000 people in Africa each year, according to the World Health Organisation – a silent crisis that unfolds in homes, rivers, dams, and coastlines across the continent. In the 90 minutes it takes to play a football match, as many as 11 people on the continent will drown – the equivalent of an entire football team.
“While fans celebrate goals, another family could be silently losing someone to drowning,” said NSRI CEO Mike Vonk. “We cannot afford to be silent about drowning.”
Sport Meets Drowning Prevention
The FA Community Shield, marking the official start of the English football season, is not only one of football’s major events, but it’s also a platform for charitable causes. For the NSRI it offers a unique opportunity to bring life-saving awareness to a global audience.
“Anyone can drown, but no one should,” said Vonk. “We need to rally as passionately for drowning prevention as we do for the teams we support.”
Public Engagement: Watch, SMS, and Save Lives
The NSRI is encouraging all fans watching the match to keep an eye out for their message. Viewers are invited to SMS their name to 32287 after spotting the slogan on screen. Each SMS is more than a competition entry; it’s a pledge to support water safety. Entrants stand a chance to win a big-screen TV as a thank-you for engaging with the campaign.
“Every SMS is someone who has heard our call,” said Vonk. “We want people to remember that moment during the game and carry it beyond the final whistle, to talk about water safety, to teach their children, and to support our rescue services.”
Life-Saving Work Powered by Donations
The NSRI is a volunteer-based, non-profit rescue organisation that responds to more than 1,000 emergencies annually. In 2024, NSRI educators delivered over 877,000 water safety lessons and taught 25,000 children survival swimming skills in under-resourced communities.
These vital programmes, from maintaining rescue boats to operating Survival Swimming Centres, are made possible through public donations.
“When the teams kick off at Wembley and our message lights up the stadium, we hope every cheer becomes a cheer for saving lives too,” Vonk concluded. “Together, let’s change the score, one life at a time.”
For more information or to support the NSRI, visit www.nsri.org.za.
