Organizers of the 2006 MasterCard World Community Cup, ClubFootball and the British Chamber of Commerce in China have announced that the total raised from the 5-a-side football tournament will amount to RMB220,000.

The sum represents a record high for the event which has been staged four times to date and which has grown into a fully-fledged campaign with the aim of raising a total of RMB1 million in 2006 for the nominated worthy causes: the China Red Cross Association, UNICEF and Beijing Huiling.

With a number of additional fundraising projects set to follow before the end of the year, the Cup is just the start of the 2006 MasterCard Charity Football Campaign and according to Rowan Simons, Chairman of ClubFootball, represents the perfect launch pad. "This event really captures the spirit of the campaign, which is all about utilizing the game of football to bring the whole community together in support of good causes," said Simons.

The final element to the 2006 MasterCard Charity Football Campaign is a series of SMS based prize competitions featuring genuine, squad signed memorabilia from some of the biggest names in world football.