A benefit is a match or season of activities granted by a sporting body to a loyal sportsman to boost their income before retirement.
An example of this is Paul Collingwood's 2007 benefit with Durham County Cricket Club.
This may also occur when sportsmen unite for a cause, for example the Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer "Match for Africa" (2010) where more than $2.6 million was raised for the Roger Federer Foundation, enabling children living in poverty to realise their potential.
[2][3][4] Benefit matches originated in English county cricket in a time period where playing sport, in particular cricket, for a living didn't offer as big of an income as it does in modern society (2015), holding a benefit at a player's 10 year service mark or retirement mark was considered a form of retirement/insurance policy.
Benefit matches are confused with Testimonial matches, it's important to note that this is a direct gift from the club where income is guaranteed unlike in a benefit where income is often dependent on attendance.