Charity Football Match to Honour Brendan Connolly
Fundraiser for Acton Homeless Concern in name of former pub landlord
Brendan Connolly
July 31, 2026
A special charity football match will take place in Chiswick this August to celebrate the life of Brendan Connolly, the popular landlord of Connolly’s pub on Chiswick High Road, and to raise funds for Acton Homeless Concern.
The event, titled The Brendan Connolly Charity Match, will be held at King’s House Sports Ground on Riverside Drive, W4, on Saturday 15 August, with kick-off at 6pm.
The match will see Chiswick Celtic take on TW Rangers in what promises to be a keenly contested local fixture. Entry is £5 for adults and £2 for concessions, with all proceeds going to Acton Homeless Concern, a charity that provides vital support to people experiencing homelessness in west London. After the game, a charity auction and after-party will be hosted at Connolly’s, the pub that Brendan ran for nearly a decade and which became a cornerstone of the local Irish community.
Brendan Connolly, who died in May last year at the age of 67, was widely regarded as one of Chiswick’s most generous and welcoming figures. His pub was known not only for its warm atmosphere but also for its role as a gathering place for sports fans, musicians and newcomers to London. Regular Friday night traditional Irish music sessions drew visitors from across Europe, while major sporting events brought together fans of all nations under one roof.
Beyond the bar, Brendan was deeply involved in local life. He supported Chiswick Celtic Football Club from its founding in 2019, sponsoring the team, hosting post-match gatherings and helping to organise club events. He also backed the Republic of Ireland Soccer Supporters Club (London), attending matches and sponsoring its annual charity quiz. His commitment to community and sport made him a beloved figure far beyond his own pub.
Supporters are encouraged to attend the match, join the after-party at Connolly’s, and share memories of a man whose kindness and humour helped make Chiswick feel like home to so many.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |