Edinburgh City FC Women’s team will be sponsored for the forthcoming season by Bellfield Taproom.Bellfield’s logo will feature on the team strips and the partners will hold a number of joint activities such as charity fundraisers and quiz nights.
Bellfield Taproom – in the city’s Abbeyhill district – is a stone’s throw from the club’s home base: the new Meadowbank Stadium.
The team will return to playing home matches at Meadowbank, from November this year, when the newly rebuilt stadium reopens.
Dave Armstrong, Head of Media & Communications, Edinburgh City FC Women said: “Sponsorship is crucial to our team and Bellfield is very local to our home base. Their reputation for being inclusive and ‘supporting local’ means they are a great partner for the club.
“We are ambitious and aiming to get to the top level, so we hope to make Bellfield proud of their association with the team.”
Women’s football in Scotland is growing at a rapid pace and the opportunities for brand and business awareness and promotion are increasing exponentially.
Edinburgh City FC Women’s team currently play in the SWF Championship which is one tier away from Premiership football.
The Edinburgh City Women’s squad boasts many Scotland Internationals as well as former Hibs and Celtic players.
The team has a Turkish International in Yasemin Emek and an American No.1, Kelli Hanman.
Bellfield director Marie Brown said: “We’re pleased to be sponsoring such an ambitious and talented squad and look forward to following their progress this season.
“We’re also looking forward to meeting the players and to hosting events and fundraisers at our Taproom to help them on their way.”
Hibernian Community Foundation and Big Hearts Community Trust are set to meet for a fundraising football game on Sunday 10th October, to mark World Mental Health Day.
It’s the first time that both charitable arms of the Edinburgh football clubs, Hibernian FC and Heart of Midlothian FC, will come together on the same pitch to raise awareness around wellbeing and mental health. The game is kindly supported by charity partner Utilita Energy.
Kick-off is 4pm at Ainslie Park. Tickets are now on sale. All proceeds will go to fund our community projects across Edinburgh.
A single-entry ticket is priced at £5 or £2 for concessions and discounted family ticket at £10.
Tickets are available via Fanbase > Utilia Energy > Store > Events > Utilita Charity Challenge Cup > Buy Tickets.
Every year, the 10th of October is a reminder that 1 in 3 people will experience mental health issues at some point in their life. We are delighted to be joining efforts with the Hibernian FC charity on this special occasion, using the reach of football to share information on support services available across the city.
Keep your eyes peeled for further event details, including opportunities for supporters to get involved and support their team on the day!
Robbie Neilson has told his players to forget the last six weeks because it’s all about winning today’s Edinburgh derby.
Tynecastle plays host to the first meeting of the capital clubs this season, with both sides flying high in the cinch Premiership.
Robbie Neilson, who this week picked up the Scottish Premiership Glen’s Manager of the Month award, knows the match could be a frantic affair but he believes the Jambos have enough experience to handle the occasion and knows the importance of picking up three points.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: “It’s been a good start but what’s happened in the last six weeks doesn’t really matter. It’s all about what happens when it kicks off on Sunday. We need to find a way to win the game.
“It doesn’t matter how you win it, it’s about winning a derby. It’s so important for the fanbase, the club and also for the players and their league position.
“It’ll be 200 miles an hour. It’s about being up for that battle at the start and then having the composure to go and play.
“We’ve got a number of boys that have played in it or played in Dundee or Glasgow derbies so I expect us to be ready for it.”
Robbie Neilson’s press conference can be seen on Hearts TV by clicking here.
Jack Ross revealed that star man Martin Boyle is fit for today’s Edinburgh Derby against Hearts.
The Australian winger went away for the September international break and came off against China, after scoring, which caused some concerns for supporters.
He subsequently missed the Aussie’s next game against Vietnam before returning back to Edinburgh and he went straight back into training.
Jack Ross explained that he wasn’t worried about Boyle’s injury, due to constant communications with the Socceroos: “We knew why Martin came off for Australia and that he wouldn’t play in the second game purely for precaution and not concern.
“We’ve got a good relationship with the Australian National Team, and I think they’ve been sensible with him. There was never any concern. We’ve looked after him today (Friday 10 September) and he’s ready to go on Sunday.
“He’s a match winner for us. He’s done that on a consistent level. You need them in your team. He’s had a feeling of winning and scoring goals at Tynecastle, and he wants that again.”
There’s been a two-week break ahead of this game, but with eight players returning from international duty, and a few knocks to contend with, Jack Ross may have a slight selection headache today.
“Longer-term absentees are Sean Mackie, Melker Hallberg, Christian Doidge and Jamie Murphy.
“Unfortunately, Jamie will be unavailable for a number of weeks due to a hamstring injury. We’ve had better weeks in terms of availability of players etc. and we have some concerns going into the weekend, but it’ll still be a team full of belief, confidence, and will have enough to go on and win that game.”
While Boyle’s availability is a huge boost for Hibs, it’s Hearts ‘twelth man’ that could well be the key ingredient this afternoon. The capital rivals will battle it out in front of a packed Tynecastle – and the noisy home support may just be the difference in this first derby of the season.
Nine men have been arrested and charged in connection with a disturbance that occurred on McLeod Street, outside Tynecastle Stadium at around 6pm on Saturday, 31 July, 2021.
The men, aged between 17 and 36, have been released on undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.
Chief Inspector Scott Richardson, Area Commander for Edinburgh South West, said: “While we have made a number of arrests in relation to this incident, our investigation is ongoing to identify those involved in the disorder.”
Scottish Government funding to boost men’s mental health football programme
A programme to use the power of football to help support people experiencing poor mental wellbeing, using the connection to professional football, has been enhanced by funding from Scottish Government.
The Changing Room – Extra Time has been awarded £100,000. The new programme builds on The Changing Room, an existing support service which uses football to bring men together to tackle mental health.
The Changing Room, which is funded by Movember and supported by the Scottish Professional Football League Trust (SPFL Trust), was first created in 2018 at Hibernian Football Club, and rolled out to Heart of Midlothian Football Club later that year.
Aimed at men in their middle years, the Changing Room is a 12-week programme which uses football to bring men together to tackle mental health.
Extra Time aims to give people the opportunity to speak in more depth about their mental wellbeing and to come together to explore areas which are giving them particular challenges or concerns.
The project will be delivered by SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) in partnership with the SPFL Trust and associated community trusts at Aberdeen (AFC Community Trust), Rangers (Rangers Charity Foundation), Heart of Midlothian (Big Hearts) and Hibernian (Hibernian Community Foundation) football clubs.
The Extra Time initiative will provide an opportunity for people to explore specific areas that often challenge them including how they view themselves, think and feel – all of which impacts on their mental wellbeing.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart, who launched the initiative at Pittodrie, home of Aberdeen FC, said: “Mental wellbeing has never been more important especially as we continue to deal with the ongoing pandemic and I am pleased to see this programme grow and develop.
“Although the focus is on four of our biggest clubs, which are all situated in urban areas, there is significant reach within those clubs across wider Scotland. My message is simple, we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about how we are feeling. This is an excellent way to combine football to improve mental wellbeing.”
Billy Watson, Chief Executive at SAMH said: “We’re delighted that the Scottish Government is funding The Changing Room – Extra Time, which will provide people with an opportunity to focus on resilience and self-care by exploring areas that often challenge them.
“It can be a struggle for many of us to talk about how we feel, and football is a really powerful way of bringing them together and encouraging them to open up.
“The Changing Room pilot projects have shown the difference the right support can make. Extra Time is a result of the value of this unique form of support being recognised not only by our pilot partners, but now also the Scottish Government and our new football club partners.
“Together, we’ve designed this expanded programme to fit the needs of people across the country, and we look forward to starting the next chapter of The Changing Room.”
SPFL Trust operations manager Fiona Taylor said: “Football has an extraordinary power to inspire people to make changes for the better. We’ve seen this with other programmes such as Football Fans in Training, and the pilot of The Changing Room at Easter Road and Tynecastle.
“The Changing Room Extra Time brings together the expertise of SAMH and our brilliant community trust partners to deliver something which we know people are looking for; interaction, safe spaces and friendship. What better place to provide this, than in the sanctuary of a club’s changing room?”
Aberdeen FC Community Trust chief executive Liz Bowie said: “We’re absolutely delighted that The Changing Room Extra Time is coming to Pittodrie, because this programme has a track record of success in supporting men to improve their mental health. We are sure that the Red Army will get right behind the project.”
A NEWLY founded football club that is bringing the joy of the sport to a part of Edinburgh has been boosted with sponsorship of a popular age group by CALA Homes (East).
Ratho United – which emerged in early 2020 to give local children an opportunity to train and play with their friends – was founded on an ethos of inclusivity, welcoming around 100 children from throughout the local area, with mixed boys and girls teams.
The CALA Homes logo will adorn the strip of its 2014 teams, which consists of six and seven-year-old boys and girls, training once a week and playing friendly matches, ahead of their first tournament in August.
Mikey Stewart, volunteer coach and committee member, said: “Given how young the club is, having CALA’s backing is a major boost.
“We have a great mix of youngsters, from the new homes here as well as the old – with some members joining from further afield because of the welcoming nature of our club.
“We’re reliant on the support of sponsors – the big next step for us is a more permanent home – as we’re currently moving between various locations.”
Craig Lynes, Managing Director with CALA Homes (East), said: “While we sold our last home in Ratho two years ago, we recognise that our homes have left a big impression on the village.
“It’s really important to us that we get behind groups like Ratho United as their contribution to the community is invaluable. Their ethos of inclusivity is something that we’re delighted to support.”
CALA has played an important role in Ratho’s recent development, selling the final homes at its Craigpark development in 2019.
Prior to this it completed two further developments, The Moorings and The Glebe, while it even created a canal basin with berths for 14 barges, handed over to Scottish Canals.
Ratho United is a community football club for boys and girls aged between five and 10, with a clear vision to promote and develop health in fitness in children.
It also promotes sportsmanship, fair play, respect and self-discipline as well as the wider community spirit and development of friendships.
Thanks to funding from the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Leisure were able to bring back a summer of fun safely to their venues across this city and supported 126 children and families living on low incomes to get active and enjoy their summer.
The Scottish Government released funding to local authorities across Scotland to help address the negative impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the health and wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland.
The priority for this funding was to provide opportunities that allowed children and young people to socialise and reconnect with peers, get active and most importantly have fun, during the summer.
Edinburgh Leisure offered parents or guardians, living on a low income and wanted their child to have the opportunity to take part in fun, engaging and exciting sports this summer to apply for funded places.
Spaces were available on Edinburgh Leisure’s swimming, gymnastics, dance, and tennis programmes, with no cost to the family applying. The coaching programmes took place in a variety of venues across the city, at various dates, with some one-day sessions and some full-week activity programmes.
Edinburgh Leisure also offered 320 spaces for families to attend their AquaDash Extreme and Clip n Climb sessions.
Families who were eligible for the programme included children who receive school uniform and meal grants, care experienced children, young carers, children whose families are in receipt of Universal Credit and children supported by a child’s plan.
Tommy George, Community Development Manager at Edinburgh Leisure, said: “For many families, finances are really tight and getting involved in activities during the holidays can be prohibitive due to cost.
“Thanks to funding from the City of Edinburgh Council, however, we were able to support families living on low incomes to ‘Get Into Summer’ by getting active, learn key skills, build confidence and esteem, as well as having fun, in a safe environment.”
Edinburgh Leisure also provided a free football programme for young people from S1 to S6 to take part in and a weekly free ‘Sport on the Beach’ session at Portobello for primary school-aged children.
As Scottish football supporters return to stadiums across the country, Police Scotland has renewed its commitment to building relationships with football fans following the publication of its first supporters’ engagement survey.
Supporters were asked for their views on how officers engaged with them, the communities affected by football and the wider public about football policing – following a key recommendation made in the Independent Review of Football Policing in Scotland.
Almost 7,000 took part in the survey and the results have now been published.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams said: “We recognised that engagement and communication with football supporters is key and I am pleased so many people with an interest in football took part in the survey.
“Football plays an important role in Scottish life, for communities and individuals and can make a positive impact.
“We commissioned the survey as a way of getting views directly from supporters and local communities, as much to allow them to fully understand the role of officers at matches as gaining an understanding of what they expect from us.
“As a result, we have completely transformed the way we communicate with supporters and going forward will continue to involve them and our communities in shaping the way we police football matches.”
Supporters groups are now an integral part of Police Scotland’s planning of football matches – the Scottish Disabled Supporters Association, the Scottish Football Supporters Association and Supporters Direct Scotland now attend the Football and Events Working Group.
This forum meets regularly to discuss issues relating to policing of football and other events and includes representatives of British Transport Police, the SFA, the SPFL, Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the Scottish Government and the Football Safety Officers’ Association Scotland.
A large majority of those who responded felt that football had a positive impact on their community. While the results of the survey show that football supporters do not always feel the need to engage with Police Scotland officers at matches, the enhanced engagement has been welcomed by Scottish football supporters groups.
Alan Russell of Supporters Direct said: “Police Scotland is a key partner to Scottish football in ensuring that the match day experience is safe and enjoyable for all supporters.
“It is vitally important that communications between everyone involved on are clear and constructive, and we welcome the publications of its Football Engagement Strategy.
“The Independent Review of Football Policing identified potential improvements in how Police Scotland interact with supporters, and we are pleased to have seen the early implementation of many of these recommendations.
“The survey results are revealing, and identify a number of issues that matter to supporters. Communication is the key to any good relationship, and we will listen to each other and work together to ensure that improvements continue to be made.”
Simon Barrow, co-founder and vice-chair of the Scottish Football Supporters Association, said: “This survey, and the process of which it is part, represents a significant step forward in communicating better with the whole football community over policing and security issues.
“We will study the results with interest, and look forward to further engagement, discussion and consultation in the coming months.”
Assistant Chief Constable Williams added: “It is extremely important that we continue to work with the clubs and match organisers to ensure everyone who goes to a football match anywhere in Scotland can enjoy it in a safe and secure environment.
“We will build on the work already undertaken and continue to develop effective working relationships with football supporters and our communities.”
VAR and refereeing were unlikely highlights of this summer’s European Championships, with new research revealing the technology’s use to be 14.39% less controversial than the English Premier League.
Research onVAR at the Euros from bookmaker William Hill has combined reactionary metrics such as Tweet volume, text sentiment analysis, articles generated and associated levels of engagement, culminating in a bespoke, first-of-its-kind controversy rating being assigned to each of the 18 overturns.
And this summer’s pan-European football tournament, which comprised 24 teams, 51 matches and 11 host cities, returned an average controversy rating of 4.40, going some way toward resurrecting its ailing reputation at what many believed was a seminal moment for the technology.
In all, there were just 18 overturns by the 22-strong VAR team based in Nyon, who shaved 17.84% off a pre-tournament average of a change every 3.25 matches, since February 2019.
Five of those 18 overturns led to goals, six led to the awarding of penalties (four of those missed), three goals were allowed after offside and six disallowed, there was one disallowed for handball, and two red cards brandished, as a result of the technology’s unobtrusive patrol.
In all there were 276 incidents checked in 51 matches (5.4 a match) with 93.5% of on-field calls correct. Of 30 tight offside calls, nine required review, but the VAR team ensured a 100% accuracy on these.
“I believe that Europe has the best VARs in the world,” said chairman of UEFA’s Referees Committee, Roberto Rosetti. “We feel that VAR is an incredible tool for football, because it helps prevent clear and obvious refereeing mistakes.
“The 18 VAR corrections at the EURO were all 100% right, which shows the quality of the work that the VAR teams did. We can accept referees’ mistakes on the field – these can happen – but it’s very difficult to accept mistakes by VARs in front of a video screen.
“Consequently, we were pleased that the EURO VARs’ decisions were so reliable.”
Mario Gavranovic’s ruled-out winner (6.63) in a 1-1 group-stage draw with Wales claimed the unenviable accolade of ‘most controversial VAR call of the tournament’, the Swiss forward adjudged to have been inches offside (correctly). That was one of 21 tight offside calls in the first 36 games of the tournament, and one of six warranting review.
Karim Benzema’s strike (6.0) for France in their 1-0 group-stage win over Germany too, was one of those clinically accurate offside calls by the VAR team. On this occasion Kylian Mbappe strayed just offside as part of a free-flowing counter.
Elsewhere, Matthijs de Ligt’s card upgrade to red, for deliberate handball, in the Netherlands’ last 16 clash with Czech Republic was rated at 5.92.
But with all three proven to be technically correct, we have seen fewer controversies, less outrage, no game-defining errors and most importantly no lengthy VAR interruptions over the past four weeks.
Europa League Final VAR Françoi Letexier (6.63) was the most controversial VAR official, 10.5% more controversial than Juan Martínez Munuera, Amsterdam ArenA (5.305) pipped Football Arena Munich and Olimpico in Rome to be the most controversial stadium, and the final five minutes of the 90 were comfortably most controversial too.
