Limber up for the World Cup with The Big Issue Shop

Four years of waiting are over. The World Cup is finally here – and you can put your best foot forward with The Big Issue Shop.

Admittedly, there is not a great deal we can do about England’s grimly inevitable, deflating second round exit. And there is even less we can do about your Spain sweepstake draw after they sacked their manager the day before the tournament.

But if you want bargains that improve the lives of the people who need it both in the UK and globally then we have just the thing for that.

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Sports ball workers are not renowned for having the best working conditions – but the game is changing through Fairtrade.

And you can play your part with every purchase of Bala Sport ball from The Big Issue Shop. Their colourful footballs are more familiar with the Homeless World Cup – where they provide the official match ball – than FIFA’s version. But Bala put workers in Jalandhar, India, and Sialkot, Pakistan, first.

As well as better conditions and quality of life, workers are given an extra 10 per cent Fairtrade premium from ball sales to invest in social development projects of their choosing.

They also meet any football fans needs – whether you want to pay £15 for a ball to kick around the park with your mates, a futsal training ball for working on skills in the gym or the £55 pro ball fit to grace the World Cup final in Moscow next month.

You might not want Three Lions on the shirt by that point (too much heartbreak, we get it) so The Big Issue Shop has got you covered there too with a series of exclusive football-themed designs.

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Bring The Big Issue to the beautiful game with our 100 per cent cotton designs. Get “Sea lions on the shirt” (that’s right, we think) to back Eng-er-land for the first couple of weeks of the tournament, or maybe even further than that.

If Panama are more your bag then tell the world with our custom ‘I love’ t-shirts too.

But best of all, each shirt sold goes towards the creation of a range of work-based opportunities for disadvantaged people.

If you want to buy 11 per side to mark the occasion then that is totally up to you.

See The Big Issue World Cup collection here.

Image: The Big Issue