On 7th May 2025, Football for Peace joined forces with Burnley Football Club and Baringa Global Management Consultancy to host a star-studded Water Gala at Nobu Portman Square, London. The event officially introduced the decade-long ‘Rehydrate the Earth‘ initiative — a global campaign aiming to solve the escalating water crisis both in the UK and around the world through the power of football.
The glamorous evening welcomed a host of celebrities from the worlds of sport and entertainment, such as Harry Redknapp, Dimitar Berbatov, Rachel Yankey OBE, Josh Norman, Kash Siddiqi, Bisma Ahmed, Princess Katerina of Yugoslavia, Makhtar Gueye, HH Sheikha Hend Al Qassemi, Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck, Idrisa Gueye, Victor Moses, and Hayley McQueen.
Presented by Scarlette Douglas, David Garrido and Braydon Bent, the event also saw appearances from Adebayo Akinfenwa, Stuart Douglas, Avram Grant, Amadou Onana, Oumar Niasse, NFL All-Pro Josh Norman, MP Seema Malhotra, and ministers responsible for Citizenship and Equalities. A wide range of guests from business, government, sports and entertainment also showed their support.
The night featured a stirring vocal performance by Heather Small MBE and a DJ set by Denise Van Outen. A charity auction conducted by Hugh Edmeades helped raise funds for Football for Peace’s water sustainability programmes, youth empowerment events, and peace-led initiatives.
Alan Pace, Chairman of Burnley Football Club said: “Burnley Football Club is proud to support Football for Peace and in exciting news co-host their Rehydrate the Earth Water Gala. Football has the power to drive change, and we’re delighted that we can unite with Football for Peace and Baringa to tackle the water crisis and champion change through sport and leadership. I’m very much looking forward to what I’m sure will be a wonderful gala and I hope as many people as possible can join us as we aim to achieve a more hydrated world.”
Former Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Bulgaria captain Dimitar Berbatov said: “Football gave me the world – now it’s time we give something back. I’m proud to stand with Football for Peace and use our platform to tackle one of the most urgent issues of our time: water. Every child, every community deserves access to it. Together, we can rehydrate the earth.”
Water stress in the UK is becoming increasingly severe, with a growing population, ageing infrastructure and climate instability placing the nation’s freshwater supplies under threat.
Projections suggest that, without timely action, water demand could surpass supply by 2050. The increasing frequency of droughts and floods is also worsening the country’s water resilience, making action more pressing than ever.
Internationally, groundwater depletion has emerged as a widespread emergency. Over 2.5 billion people rely on underground water sources, many of which are diminishing due to overuse, contamination, and shifting weather systems. In some regions, this has caused agricultural devastation, subsiding land and large-scale displacement.
This gala was part of an ongoing campaign by Football for Peace, which has previously collaborated with the UK Parliament, Children’s Parliament, US lawmakers, IGRAC and UN Water to advocate for responsible groundwater stewardship. These efforts underscore how football can be a potent instrument for raising global awareness.
“Football is our strategy for a more united and hydrated world,” said Kash Siddiqi, Co-Founder, Football for Peace.
“We’re going from the USA World Cup to the Saudi World Cup, mobilising people to take action for water. This is about creating a global movement through the power of sport inspiring leaders, youth, and communities to be part of the solution.”
Adrian Bettridge, Managing Partner at Baringa said: “We’re proud to have supported Football for Peace in mobilising their Rehydrate the Earth campaign, which is restoring and safeguarding groundwater to the most vulnerable communities globally.
“Our water experts helped FFP to attract support from organisations by understanding how addressing water scarcity is linked to their corporate goals and developed the ambitious plans to expand the campaign from its launch to its operation.”
