Sidemen Charity Match 2023!

The 2023 Sidemen Charity Football Match was the most successful to date, with over 67,000 fans in attendance, 2.6 million peak viewers and more than £2.4 million raised for charity. We supported elements of the live production for this record-breaking influencer-led event.

Home / Sidemen Charity Match 2023!

The rise of creator-led live events has transformed the sports and entertainment landscape, with productions like the Sidemen Charity Match setting a new benchmark for scale and audience engagement.

On Saturday 9th September 2023, the annual football charity match took place between the YouTube phenomenon, ‘The Sidemen’ and ‘YouTube Allstars’, with 67,000 fans in attendance (vs 27,111 last year) and millions streaming.

This time, the match took place in the beautiful London Stadium, (also the home of West Ham).

Delivering an event at a large venue like this requires careful coordination.

As an events agency specialising in large-scale stadium productions, we regularly deliver football activations, fan zone experiences and broadcast-ready live events, supporting everything from audience logistics and accreditation systems to high-impact matchday production and brand-led fan engagement.

*Exterior view of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stadium (London Stadium). This is the arena that hosted the Sidemen 2023 Charity Match.*

*Close-up of Sidemen Charity Match 2023 digital display on the exterior of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Stadium (London Stadium). This is the arena that hosted the Sidemen 2023 Charity Match.*

*Exterior of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park London Stadium with ArcelorMittal Orbit in the background.*

*Close-up of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park London Stadium branding.*

Following on from last year, this is the biggest YouTube event of the year and sees a huge amount of viewers tune in to the live stream and a huge crowd attend the event in person.

It was a privilege to be a part of this event!

As an established event production agency, our team contributed to key areas of this large-scale live broadcast event, including branding implementation, pitch-side activation setup and coordination across stadium and broadcast environments

Events like the Sidemen Charity Match highlight the growing demand for influencer-led live productions and stadium-scale experiences, where production, logistics and audience engagement must work together to create high-impact events like this.

Football Activation Planning

Are you planning a football activation or stadium event? From fan zones and interactive football experiences to freestyle performers, branded pitch-side activations and live matchday production, we help brands and organisers create high-energy sports environments that engage audiences both in-stadium and online.

The 2023 Sidemen Charity Football Match: Sidemen FC vs YouTube Allstars

This is the fifth time the Sidemen have competed in a Charity match (starting in 2015 in a match called ‘The Wembley Cup’).

The Sidemen charity match itself has run since 2016, when the Sidemen launched Sidemen F.C., with matches taking place in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2022.

We thought 2022 was a big year, but 2023 took this event to a completely new level.

The 2023 Sidemen Charity Match was in aid of:

The 2023 Sidemen Charity Match was the most successful to date!

This year-round, the line-ups had some fresh faces. Here are the official squads:

Sidemen FC 2023 Line-Up

Manager: Billy Wingrove

Sidemen FC Full Squad:

0: JME
1: Mr Beast
3: Airrack
4: Zerkaa
7: Miniminter
11: Callux
13: Angry Ginge
14: Lazarbeam
17: Calfreezy
21: TBJZL
25: Behzinga
27: Manny
33: Randolph
69: KSI
77: Wroetoshaw
99: Tareq
123: Vikkstar
999: Deji

The Sidemen FC went with a 4-4-2 starting line-up as follows:

*Starting line-up of the Sidemen FC at the Sidemen Charity Match 2023. Credit to The Sidemen Charity Match 2023 Official Stream.*

Sidemen FC Starting Line-Up:

GK: KSI
LB: JME
CB: Wroetoshaw
CB: Calfreezy
RB: Lazarbeam
LM: Mr Beast
CM: Behzinga
CM: TBJZL
RM: Zerkaa
ST: Miniminter
ST: Vikkstar123

YouTube Allstars 2023 Line-Up

Manager: Mark Goldbridge

YouTube Allstars Full Squad:

2: WillNE (who also did a POV of the match)
3: Kai Cenat
5: Max Fosh
7: iShowSpeed
8: Karl Jacobs
9: Filly
10: ChrisMD
12: XQC
13: Jacksepticeye
14: Theo Baker
21: Chunkz
27: Danny Aarons
32: Aboflah
33: Jidion
34: Duke Dennis
69: Niko Omilana

The YouTube Allstars went with a 4-2-3-1 starting line-up as follows:

*Starting line-up of the YouTube Allstars at the Sidemen Charity Match 2023. Credit to The Sidemen Charity Match 2023 Official Stream.*

YouTube Allstars Starting Line-Up:

GK: XQC
LB: Max Fosh
CB: Jidion
CB: WillNE
RB: Danny Aarons
CDM: Filly
CDM: ChrisMD
CAM: Kai
CAM: Theo Baker
CAM: Speed
ST: Niko

The popular YouTube stars Spencer Owen (Spencer FC) and Stephen Tries were commentators at the event, doing a fantastic job!

Sidemen Charity Match 2023 Stephen Tries and Spencer FC in commentary box. — *Sidemen Charity Match 2023: Stephen Tries and Spencer FC in the commentary box.*

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the day from Spencer himself:

Previous Sidemen Charity Match Results:

2015: Sidemen LOSE 5–2 vs Spencer FC (Wembley Cup)
2016: Sidemen WIN 7-2 vs YouTube Allstars
2017: Sidemen LOSE 0-2 vs YouTube Allstars
2018: Sidemen WIN 7-1 vs YouTube Allstars
2022: Sidemen WIN 8-7 vs YouTube Allstars

The very first football match the Sidemen took part in was in the 2015 Wembley Cup organised by Spencer FC where the Sidemen (Sidemen United at the time) lost 5-2 to Spencer FC. The Wembley Cup is a separate competition from the annual Sidemen Charity Football match.

Watch The 2023 Sidemen Charity Football Match Highlights!

The Success Of The Sidemen Charity Match 2023

The Sidemen Charity Match 2023 broke all previous records!

Here are just some of the breathtaking stats from the 2023 charity match:

Over 67,000 in attendance (tickets sold out in 90 minutes!)
2.6m peak concurrent viewers on a stream (breaking their own Guinness world record)
£2,425,855 raised for charities

To put this into perspective, here are the above stats for previous years:

2016:
- 15,000 in attendance
- 500,000 peak concurrent viewers
- £100,000 raised for charities

2017:
- 27,000 in attendance
- 550,000 peak concurrent viewers
- £210,000 raised for charities

2018:
- 14,000 in attendance
- 455,000 peak concurrent viewers
- £600,000 raised for charities

2022:
- 27,000 in attendance
- 2,558,000 peak concurrent viewers
- £1,075,000 raised for charities

The event went from raising £100,000 to a whopping £2,400,000!

Run-Through Of The Sidemen Charity Match 2023

There were a lot of companies involved in the event to ensure all aspects were done correctly. Separate companies to manage the stream itself, the venue, catering and more.

Sidemen Charity Match 2023 branded red and black banner in player tunnel. — *Sidemen Charity Match 2023 branded red and black banner in the player tunnel.*

*Player tunnel with Sidemen Charity Match branding and staff setting up inside.*

All prominent areas of the football stadium were branded with ‘Sidemen Charity Match 2023’ and ‘SDMN FC vs YouTube Allstars’ banners to promote the event on the live stream.

Branding and a strong visual identity are critical in stadium environments – not just for broadcast visibility, but for creating immersive, sponsor-led fan experiences.

For events like this, pitch-side branding, tunnel graphics and large-format stadium visuals all play a role in reinforcing partnerships and delivering high-impact brand exposure both in-person and on stream.

For this stadium event, we supported the delivery of pitch-side branding, stadium-wide visual assets and activation setup, ensuring consistency across physical environments, broadcast output and sponsor visibility

From bespoke signage to immersive football-themed brand activations, these elements are essential in elevating the overall fan experience and maximising brand visibility across both live and broadcast audiences.

A football freestyler performing in front of a large crowd at a corporate event. — *Move through your event with our roaming football freestyler, engaging guests and building atmosphere at your company events.*

*SDMN FC vs YouTube Allstars branded banner in player tunnel at Sidemen Charity Match 2023.*

This included a range of bespoke banners, backdrops and more, as pictured.

*Sidemen Charity Match 2023 banner on pitch side floor, below West Ham crest.*

It also included some branded products such as ‘Sides’ – a food chain of the Sidemen.

Sidemen Charity Match 2023 'Sides' branded banners around pitch. — *Sidemen Charity Match 2023 ‘Sides’ branded banners around pitch.*

Sidemen Charity Match 2023 close-up of 'Sides' branded banners around pitch. — *Sidemen Charity Match 2023 close-up of ‘Sides’ branded banners around the pitch.*

*Team seating area at the London Stadium branded with Sidemen Charity Match 2023 logos.*

*Close up of headrests on team seating area at the London Stadium branded with Sidemen Charity Match 2023 logos.*

From Pitch-Side Branding to Fan Engagement

Stadium events like this go beyond the match itself. We design and deliver interactive football activations, including:

Fan challenges and skill zones
Branded content moments
Freestyle football performances
Sponsor-led engagement experiences

See how we bring football activations to life.

All pitch side areas were used to capture content of the charity match and a central area for key staff in the production and management of the event.

There were heaps of camera equipment to capture the event for the live stream and more.

Behind the scenes, events of this scale rely on detailed live event production management.

As such, we supported key areas of technical delivery, including broadcast setup, camera positioning and live stream integration, helping ensure a high-quality production across both stadium screens and global streaming platforms – all key components in delivering a high-quality live sports event activation to a global audience.

Creative Director, Michael Charles and Joanne, event manager at Julia Charles Event Manager entering the London Stadium. — *Creative Director, Michael Charles and Joanne, event manager at Julia Charles Event Manager, entering the London Stadium.*

London stadium seating areas empty before fan arrival. — *London Stadium seating areas empty before fan arrival. This was a massive stadium which was fully sold out for the 2023 Charity Match.*

*London Stadium empty seating prior to fan arrival at the Sidemen 2023 Charity Match.*

*Staff pitch side at the Sidemen 2023 Charity Match setting up production equipment for the livestream.*

*Live stream camera equipment pitch side at the 2023 Sidemen Charity Match.*

*Production and AV equipment used pitch side at the Sidemen Charity Match 2023 to manage LIVE event sound and lighting production.*

*Close-up of live stream camera equipment pitch side at the 2023 Sidemen Charity Match.*

*Camera man operating static swivel camera pitch side.*

Team setting up and testing production equipment for pundit desk at 2023 Sidemen Charity Match. — *Team setting up and testing production equipment for pundit desk at the 2023 Sidemen Charity Match.*

All teams ran several rehearsals of all aspects of the event to ensure the run-through of the LIVE event all went together correctly and all staff were comfortable with what they were doing.

This included everything from setting up the awards facade, running the punditry desk, running Aitch’s halftime performance and all of the set-up and de-rigs of all aspects of the event.

*Team rehearsing set up of Sidemen 2023 Charity Match awards stage.*

*Sidemen Charity Match 2023 team tunnel with staff setting up production and testing running order.*

*Sidemen Charity Match 2023 team running through rehearsal of setting up awards facade in stadium entrance.*

*Production team bringing Sidemen Charity Match Winners facade on to pitch to rehearse prior to LIVE match.*

The remote control car that brought the football to the centre line of the pitch for kick-off was also tested.

*Volkswagen remote control car holding match ball used to bring the ball to the centre line.*

Player Arrival and Pre Kick-Off

The players arrived two hours before kick-off, with everything in place and ready to go.

There were green rooms, a production room and security personnel placed throughout the stadium to ensure everything went to plan and there were no hiccups along the way.

To avoid any security issues, accreditation was set up for the event to ensure everyone in these areas of the stadium was approved, and there weren’t any unexpected guests!

For an event like this with huge influencers, security is absolutely key.

The stream itself started at 14:15, giving 45 minutes before kick-off to introduce the event.

To start the stream, there was a recap of previous matches to let the audience know what they were in for.

The presenters – Big Zuu and ElzTheWitch (a slight change from last year) – then introduced the event, introducing key players of the event, such as the pundits and commentators.

It then went into team warm-ups on the pitch, getting the crowd going and then into some quick interviews of some of the players.

The stream then brought up the line-ups of each team, and we had the team banners and centre circle paraded to rally up the crowd, similar to a Champions League fixture.

The production was really ramped up this year, using drones, pyrotechnics and more to really bring the level up!

The players walked on, the ball was then tackled by WillNE, and we were ready for kick-off!

Sidemen Charity Match 2023 Kick-Off / First Half

The crowd were ready to go!

The first half was action-packed with four goals scored:

Here’s what the first half looked like from the sidelines!

London Stadium sold out seating - there was a huge turnout for the 2023 Sidemen Charity Match. — *London Stadium sold out seating – there was a huge turnout for the 2023 Sidemen Charity Match.*

Ethan (Behzinga) on the ball, pushing forward in the lead up to the first goal of the match. — *Ethan (Behzinga) on the ball, pushing forward in the lead-up to the first goal of the match.*

*Calfreezy pushing forward and passing the ball.*

*Chris MD dribbling, pushing forward past Manny.*

Sidemen Charity Match 2023 scoreboard after Chris MD's goal, taking the score to 1-1. — *Sidemen Charity Match 2023 scoreboard after Chris MD’s goal, taking the score to 1-1.*

Sidemen FC Goalkeeper, KSI standing in front of goal preparing for goal kick. — *Sidemen FC Goalkeeper, KSI, standing in front of the goal, preparing for a goal kick.*

*Miniminter shooting on target, scoring the third goal of the match.*

'Goal' animation shown on stadium screen after Miniminter's goal, taking the score to 2-1. — *‘Goal’ animation shown on stadium screen after Miniminter’s goal, taking the score to 2-1.*

*Sidemen FC substitutes standing pitch side, watching the game.*

*Yung Filly on the ball, trying to pass Tareq.*

*Niko tackling Tareq, gaining possession.*

*Max Fosh passing the ball to Chris MD.*

There was unfortunately an injury on the YouTube Allstars team with Theo Baker requiring medical assistance – we wish him a speedy recovery.

*Standing livestream camera, pitch side, operated by camera man and assistant.*

2-1 scoreboard just before Chunkz' goal in the first half. The second half finished even at 2-2. — *2-1 scoreboard just before Chunkz’ goal in the first half. The second half finished even at 2-2.*

*Half time whistle blown, players applauding, beginning to walk off of pitch.*

*Speed and Mark Goldbridge talking as they exit the pitch after the first half.*

After an intense first half, the players walked off the pitch where the stream displayed the highlights and team talks commenced.

Aitch performed at the centre of the pitch to entertain fans during the break!

Aitch Halftime Performance

As soon as the players walked off the pitch, the team began setting up the pitch for Aitch’s halftime performance.

This had to be done quickly and seamlessly to ensure a smooth transition to the performance and there were no delays in the stream (as this was run to a strict running order).

1:57:25 Aitch Half-Time Performance

Production team setting up Aitch's DJ's equipment and desk for halftime performance. — *Production team setting up Aitch’s DJ’s equipment and desk for halftime performance.*

Cadets and volunteers led by production team setting up centre circle for Aitch's halftime performance on the pitch. — *Cadets and volunteers led by production team setting up centre circle for Aitch’s halftime performance on the pitch.*

Big Zuu and Elz The Witch presenting pitch side, introducing Aitch's half time performance. — *Big Zuu and Elz The Witch, presenting pitch side, introducing Aitch’s half-time performance.*

Aitch blew the roof off the London Stadium!

Incorporating live music into a sporting event requires more elements to create a high-level production.

We supported the delivery of the halftime show, assisting with staging transitions, production coordination and setup to ensure a smooth and timely transition between match play and live performance.

This type of integrated entertainment is a core part of modern stadium events.

We regularly deliver halftime shows, live performances and brand-led entertainment moments, combining entertainment, staging and audience engagement into one experience that sits seamlessly within sports productions – enhancing audience engagement without disrupting match flow.

Aitch walking through player tunnel on to pitch with camera man filming from the front for the livestream. — *Aitch walking through the player tunnel onto the pitch with a cameraman filming from the front for the livestream.*

*Aitch walking on pitch to centre circle for half time performance, being filmed by camera man in front.*

*Aitch performing on approach to centre circle.*

The production of the performance was next level, with all of the pyrotechnics, drone shots and more.

*Aitch on the centre circle performing to the Sidemen Charity Match fans.*

Aitch performing on centre circle at halftime of Sidemen Charity Match 2023. — *Aitch performing on the centre circle at halftime of the Sidemen Charity Match 2023.*

Pyrotechnics took the performance to the next level, which looked great in person and on the livestream. We fully managed teams to make this performance possible. — Pyrotechnics took the performance to the next level, which looked great in person and on the livestream. We supported production elements behind the performance, contributing to the seamless delivery of staging, effects and live broadcast integration.

Camera filming Aitch's LIVE performance on the pitch, from pitch side. Several cameras were set up to move to different angles and shots throughout the performance for a high quality live production. — Camera filming Aitch’s LIVE performance on the pitch, from pitch side. Several cameras were set up to move to different angles and shots throughout the performance for a high-quality live production.

Aitch's halftime performance was also streamed to the screens in the stadium for fans to get a closer look at the performance. — *Aitch’s halftime performance was also streamed to the screens in the stadium for fans to get a closer look at the performance.*

Big Zuu and Elz The Witch reacting to Aitch's halftime performance on the livestream. — *Big Zuu and Elz The Witch reacting to Aitch’s halftime performance on the livestream.*

*Aitch getting the audience involved in the Sidemen Charity Match 2023 halftime performance.*

DJ Win, Aitch's DJ getting the crowd going during halftime performance. — *DJ Win, Aitch’s DJ, getting the crowd going during the halftime performance.*

The production for the Sidemen Charity Match 2023 was really ramped up, using pyrotechnics and more to enhance Aitch's halftime performance. — *The production for the Sidemen Charity Match 2023 was really ramped up, using pyrotechnics and more to enhance Aitch’s halftime performance.*

*DJ Win on stadium screen during Aitch halftime performance.*

*DJ Win supporting Aitch halftime performance.*

DJ Win, Aitch's DJ, being filmed by cameraman for livestream. — *DJ Win, Aitch’s DJ, being filmed by cameraman for livestream.*

At the end of Aitch's halftime performance, red smoke was blown into the air to signal the end of the performance. — *At the end of Aitch’s halftime performance, red smoke was blown into the air to signal the end of the performance.*

*Aitch leaving the pitch after halftime performance.*

The team then had to quickly de-rig the pitch in time for players to get back to the match without any delay.

*Production team de-rigging performance area on pitch prior to player walkout for second half.*

From halftime performances and DJ sets to freestyle footballers and crowd engagement acts, we create entertainment moments that elevate the live experience and keep audiences engaged throughout the event.

Discover our half time show performance options.

Sidemen Charity Match 2023: Second Half

The second half was even more packed with nine goals scored!

*Kai Cenat, Duke Dennis, XQC and Jidion walking on to pitch for second half of the match.*

*Deji shooting on target in YouTube Allstars penalty box.*

The crowd was huge for the Sidemen Charity Match 2023 - the stadium was completely full. — *The crowd was huge for the Sidemen Charity Match 2023 – the stadium was completely full.*

*London Stadium full with fans for the Sidemen Charity Match 2023.*

*KSI taking goal kick in the second half.*

YouTube Allstars - Filly, Chunkz, Niko and Speed celebrating Niko's goal, taking the score to 7-5. — *YouTube Allstars – Filly, Chunkz, Niko and Speed celebrating Niko’s goal, taking the score to 7-5.*

*Sidemen Charity Match 2023 7-5 scoreboard.*

*Michael Charles, Creative Director of Julia Charles Event Management pitch side.*

*Michael Charles, Creative Director of Julia Charles Event Management, pitch side at the Sidemen Charity Match 2023.*

*KSI ran out from goal towards the end of the match to bring some more entertainment to the match.*

Cameraman pitch side filming the match for the livestream on sports camera. — *Cameraman pitch side filming the match for the livestream on a sports camera.*

*KSI dribbling past YouTube Allstars team in the second half.*

*Speed sprinting past Tareq on the ball.*

Tareq celebrating his goal, taking the score to 8-5 - the final goal of the match. — *Tareq celebrating his goal, taking the score to 8-5 – the final goal of the match.*

Tareq celebrating his goal with Mr Beast and Lazarbeam, taking the score to 8-5 - the final goal of the match. — *Tareq celebrating his goal with Mr Beast and Lazarbeam, taking the score to 8-5 – the final goal of the match.*

Final score on scoreboard - 8-5. — *Final score on scoreboard – 8-5.*

The second half was just as action-packed as promised. The game finished 8-5 with the Sidemen FC taking the win.

Closing moments like the trophy lift require just as much precision as the opening.

From staging and awards presentation to crowd coordination and broadcast timing, we supported elements of the end-to-end delivery.

Events like this showcase how large-scale sports productions require seamless integration across every phase, from concept through to the final moment.

This was the Sidemen’s 4th win out of five Sidemen Charity Matches!

Now on to the trophy lift!

Sidemen Charity Match Winners

What an amazing event to be a part of! Seeing over £2.4m raised for charity, over 60,000 in attendance and millions of viewers tuning in LIVE.

Key timings:

*Players shaking hands after the final whistle.*

*Players coming together after the final whistle.*

*Teams doing a lap of the pitch to thank fans for attending.*

*Production team bringing out awards facade to set up for trophy lift.*

*Production team bringing out awards facade and trophy stand for trophy lift.*

*Production team hanging Sidemen FC banner and setting up awards facade for trophy lift.*

*Charity Match Winners Trophy placed on stand prior to trophy lift.*

*YouTube Allstars entering the pitch to receive medals.*

*Sidemen FC receiving winners medals at the Charity Match.*

*Sidemen FC celebrating win with trophy lift and pyrotechnics.*

*Sidemen FC Captain, Ethan, lifting trophy to celebrate win.*

*Sidemen FC lifting trophy to celebrate win.*

*Billy Wingrove, Manager of Sidemen FC lifting the trophy with team.*

*Sidemen FC walking around pitch celebrating the win with fans.*

*Sidemen celebrating charity match win.*

*Ethan getting a photo with the winner trophy.*

*Ethan holding the winners trophy on pitch.*

*Sidemen FC parading winners trophy on pitch.*

*Mr Beast and the rest of Sidemen FC leaving the pitch post-match.*

*KSI and brother Deji getting a photo together after charity match win.*

Proud To Be A Part Of The Sidemen 2023 Charity Match

We’re incredibly proud to have contributed to the Sidemen Charity Match 2023 – a standout example of how influencer-led events are redefining live sports experiences at scale. We’re incredibly proud to have supported on key production, branding and activation elements across the event.

Not only are these events great fun to be a part of, but they’re also for a fantastic cause, raising huge amounts of money for charity.

As demand continues to grow for creator-led events, football activations and stadium-scale productions, the need for seamless delivery across production, branding and audience engagement has never been greater.

Whether you’re planning a brand-led football activation, a fan engagement experience or a full stadium event, our team supports projects from concept through to live delivery.

As an established events agency, we specialise in delivering large-scale live event production, from influencer-driven broadcasts and stadium fan experiences to football-themed activations and brand activations.

If you’re planning a sports event, fan zone, or large-scale live experience, explore our services or get in touch with our team to see how we can support your next production.

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