Doing something for those in need has always felt important to me.
It started simply enough at the Chester Romans, selling pink socks to raise money for Breast Cancer UK, then red and yellow ones for Ronald McDonald House. Small gestures, but they felt right.
In 2013, I was invited to play in a charity match in Nottingham, put together by the Lincolnshire Bombers and friends. Standing in line for the coin toss, a lad called Gareth 'Tish' Pullen turned to me with what I can only describe as an opening statement rather than a greeting:
"So, how much do you squat? I squat 200kgs."
I remind him of this as often as humanly possible. Tish and his teammate Neale McMaster are still two of my best friends in 2026, which tells you everything about what charity football can do when you let it.
The game was fun, but it was still a bit serious and having spent my career being serious, I decided to put my own spin on things back in Chester. The first 'East vs West Bowl' was born. Players were assigned teams at random, smack talk was actively encouraged, celebrations were mandatory, and everyone paid a set fee that covered their jersey, pitch hire, a medic and a charitable contribution.
That formula worked. We kept it going for years.
The Schmyder Cup
When the Covid lockdowns hit, I did what any sensible person would do, I organised a charity game to give people something to look forward to.
We needed a theme. Instead of Europe vs USA in the Ryder Cup, we'd play the Schmyder Cup, contested for a plastic cone wrapped in tin foil, attached to the base of an old award from my garage. Top quality. Genuinely.
Just before the 2020 event, the UK went into another lockdown, so it was put on ice. Which turned out to be a blessing, it meant the Schmyder Cup tied in perfectly as a warm-up game before the brand new Sealand Seahawks went on their first ever tour to Dublin. Team Europe took on Team USA and had a grand old time.
Social media was interesting. Explaining that it wasn't the actual Team Europe or Team USA flying over to play, just Mike Ireland being daft as usual, took more effort than expected.
The Beach Incident
That same year I organised a charity game on Watergate Bay beach near Newquay, raising money for the RNLI. Teams sorted, post-game meal booked, big night out planned. I was genuinely proud when Cornwall Live rang to cover it.
Then I received a message from Alison Payne, former events manager at Watergate Bay Hotel.
"So, who are you and who said you could run it on our beach?"
Turns out beaches in Cornwall are owned by someone. Who knew.
I explained everything, it went ahead without any issues, and Alison messaged me every year until she changed jobs in 2025 with the same opener: "Same again?"
I'll not pretend it wasn't hard work being enthusiastic while running around playing flag football, barefoot, in the cold Cornish rain. But we did it. Every year.
The Slate Cup and Popworld
The following year brought the Seahawks' take on the Grey Cup- the Slate Cup, played under Canadian-ish rules adapted for a soggy rugby pitch in Milton Keynes. We were raising money for the Amelie Fund, whose logo was a penguin, so naturally the match became Penguins vs Grizzlies.
Mike Woolnaugh, head of the Sealand American Football Referees Association, did a heroic job of making sense of the organised chaos. This was also where I first met Sealand Legend Nick Benning and where the Seahawks' tradition of ending every event at Popworld was born.
For the uninitiated: Popworld is a nightclub, but imagine the cheesiest music, the cheesiest interior and the daftest drinks you've ever encountered in one place. Vengaboys. ABBA megamix. Light-up dancefloor. We love it unreservedly and are not embarrassed about this.
The Prince Michael Cup
By 2024, the Seahawks had grown into something properly special. When Prince Michael and Princess Mei came out to watch us play in Palma, the charity game got an overhaul to match the occasion.
The Prince Michael Cup for mixed teams. The Princess Mei Cup for women players. The principles remained the same; celebrations mandatory, trick plays necessary, sportsmanship the entire point, but now it needed to look good for the Royal family and for the cameras, as it was streamed live on YouTube for the world to see.
That fun-first mentality carries through to everything the Seahawks do. We play hard, we respect our opponents, and the moment the final whistle goes we shake hands and head to the bar.
And when we hold our anniversary home game in September 2027? We'll shake hands, congratulate our opponents and take them somewhere special.
You guessed it. Popworld.
This Season and Beyond
From 2027, the American Football charity games move to February, an end-of-season celebration with awards, silliness and one last fun game before most Seahawks return to their domestic clubs for the British American Football season.
We’ll be fundraising at our Cricket Match on the 11th of July, where the Princes XI take on Frinton on Sea CC and also at our Softball tournament on the 12th of September where the Sealand Seagulls take on all comers.
This year we're supporting Mind. Over the years we've raised money for:
Alzheimer's Society · MAGPAS Air Ambulance · RNLI · Lifting the Lid · Ronald McDonald House · Breast Cancer Support · Claire House Hospice · CICRA · The Amelie Fund · Macmillan Cancer Research
A different charity every year, spreading the love around.
Doing our bit to help others?
It's the Sealand way. 🍍
- Mike Ireland, Minister for Sports and Culture
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