Tag: Sport

£4 million fund available for Edinburgh grassroots sports clubs and organisations

Grassroots sports clubs and organisations in Edinburgh can apply for grants to help them bounce back from the pandemic, through Made By Sport’s ‘Clubs in Crisis’ fund.

Made By Sport, a charity which champions the power of sport to tackle social issues, is distributing over £4 million of grants to support the vital role that grassroots sports clubs and organisations play in communities.

Recent research indicates that 25% of community clubs may not be able to reopen due to the devastating impact of Covid-19. In an attempt to prevent this becoming a reality, Made By Sport are offering unrestricted grants of £2021 to those groups who do so much in communities to use sport as a vehicle for social good.

The pandemic has exacerbated many health and social issues. Research from mental health charity YoungMinds found that 83% of young people said the pandemic had affected their mental health, reporting issues with sleep, panic attacks and urges to self-harm. 

In the face of these crises, sport is a vital tool to transform people’s lives. As well as helping to overcome mental health challenges, it is also a way to tackle important social issues such as reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, increasing life and employment skills and opportunities.

It also brings communities together and it is estimated that for every £1 invested in sport and recreation, there is a £4.34 return on savings in money spent on crime, truancy and ill health.

The #ClubsinCrisis fund, supported by the Cash4Clubs scheme, is now accepting applications and Sophie Mason, Made By Sport’s Chief Executive, urged clubs to apply.

She said: “We’re delighted to be able to provide £4 million worth of grants through our #ClubsinCrisis fund. With sport returning, now is the time to invest in grassroots sports and give our young people the best opportunity to thrive. Access to sport will provide them with more confidence, more resilience and better mental and physical health.

“We believe funders and policy makers should consider sport in a different context and Made By Sport will continue to lead the way in redefining what community sport can do as part of the national rebuild. Now more than ever, sport has a big role in reinvigorating communities and supporting young people post-pandemic.”

In order to be eligible, clubs must provide clear evidence of how they use sport to help young people develop life skills, employment opportunities, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour or tackle mental health issues. 

To apply for funding for your club, visit www.madebysport.com/clubsincrisis. 

Millions of football boots to find new homes in new environmental awareness campaign

A new ‘Football Rebooted’ campaign has been launched today by the UK’s leading smart energy supplier, Utilita, and former England and Premier League goalkeeper, David James MBE.

The campaign has been created to help the nation recycle at least one million pairs of ‘pre-played’ football boots and astro boots, saving families a small fortune, as well as 136,000 tonnes of carbon – the same as taking 7,000 cars off the road for a year, or turning the energy off in one million medium-sized houses for a week.

The ‘donate and claim’ campaign, enables anyone with spare football boots or astro boots to request a freepost ‘boot bag’ to donate their boots, after which their boots will appear at one of many claim stations that will pop up in parks, training grounds, and at some of the UK’s largest football clubs.

Premium pairs of the ‘most wanted’ retro boots and former and current players’ boots and other items will also be in the mix, giving anyone a chance to come along and grab a pair to be proud of.  

The campaign is strategically designed to put an aspirational spin on a mechanic that will get good boots through to families struggling to afford new ones, after Utilita’s State of Play report revealed that out of the 74 percent of families who had been impacted financially by the pandemic, 18 percent won’t be able to send their kids back to grassroots football as they can’t afford boots and other items such as goalie gloves and shin pads. 

Campaign ambassador and keen environmentalist, David James, and the Utilita team held focus groups with families, which revealed the barriers to boots finding new homes – the biggest being pride.

The donate and claim mechanic avoids families needing to accept charity from people they know, and makes claiming a new pair an aspirational activity, whereby people are impacting the environment, too.  

Campaign ambassador, David James MBE, comments on why the campaign is so important: “Right now, there are millions of pairs of football boots that people have grown out of or replaced, and we need to make sure they don’t end up in landfill.

“Getting these boots replayed through Utilita’s Football Rebooted campaign will not only save players a few quid but will also act as an important reminder about the power of upcycling and reusing items that still have a lot of life left in them.” 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1396005495866118144

Bill Bullen, founder of Utilita – the only energy company created to help households use and waste less energy – explained why Utilita has created the Football Rebooted campaign: “Most consumers are becoming more thoughtful about how their choices impact the environment, but sometimes life gets in the way of making the right choice. That’s why we have created Football Rebooted, which makes recycling football boots with plenty of life left in them, really easy. 

“The campaign has been shaped by grassroots football players, coaches and parents, so uses carbon-saving examples that really resonate with this audience – home energy usage and taking cars off the road. It’s been incredibly encouraging to see football players as young as six years old talk passionately about the importance of protecting the environment.”

Premier League and EFL clubs across the UK, including Portsmouth, Southampton, Derby County and Leeds United, have already signed up to donate the football boots worn by their academy players, while first-team players have also donated their own boots in the interests of the environment.

As part of the new campaign, schools can request boots be sent to them for children who they identify as needing football boots to enable them to play in or outside of school. 

English Schools’ FA (ESFA) Chairman, Phil Harding, said: “The last 12 months have been very difficult for families, teams, players and schools alike and, as the National Governing Body for Schools’ Football, the ESFA welcome any campaign to help ensure children have every opportunity to take part in a sport that they are passionate about, but that is also so beneficial for both their physical and mental health.

“The Football Rebooted campaign not only has a great environmental message but is also working towards helping children to be active, participate and enjoy school sport.” 

Find out more information about the campaign at www.footballrebooted.co.uk.

Scottish Cup final: Hibs fans urged to enjoy the game SAFELY

Hibernian FC has urged supporters to enjoy today’s Cup Final and reiterated that they should watch – and hopefully celebrate – the match in line with Government restrictions and with consideration for others.

The Club confirmed yesterday that Easter Road Stadium would close on Friday and will not reopen over the weekend, regardless of the game’s outcome.

And following the harrowing scenes from Glasgow city centre – where a man had his hand blown off in a shocking pyrotechnic incident – the Club is asking fans to desist from any use of pyrotechnics. These are not safe, can cause severe injuries, and can be harmful to health – particularly to those suffering from any respiratory illness.

Fans can now enjoy the game with families or close friends provided they do so in line with Government restrictions – so basically up to six adults from three households, whether in a private home or hospitality setting.

The game is being televised live via Hibs TV to International Subscribers and is also being shown on BBC and on Premier Sports – so loads of options to watch.

In his open letter to all supporters, Hibernian Chairman Ronald J Gordon said: “I also want to ask one more time for your support and patience. Please, cheer the team on, but please do it with your friends and your family and do it within the Government restrictions that are there to protect us all. Let’s not be part of anything that risks the progress made in tackling the pandemic.”

The Club is asking supporters to resist the temptation to gather unsafely in large numbers and making it clear that there will be no opportunity, sadly, to celebrate together as we would all like if Jack Ross and the players cap a great season by winning the Scottish Cup.

By adhering to the rules, Hibernian fans can help bring a return to stadiums a little closer.

A Prince in Pilton

Duke of Cambridge calls in at Spartans to talk mental health

  • Duke visits Spartans FC to hear about positive impact of the Heads Up ‘Mentally Healthy Football’ declaration in Scotland
  • Scotland’s spot-kick hero David Marshall joins Duke and other Home Nations players in zoom conversation on mental health
  • Mental Health League players engage in shooting drill with Duke and former Scotland international Steven Thompson

Spartans FC received a royal visitor yesterday when the Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, paid a visit to Pilton to hear about the progress made in putting mental health and wellbeing at the forefront of the game in Scotland.

The trip to Spartans was the Duke’s first stop on his visit to Scotland, and saw him meet with representatives from the Scottish FA, Breathing Space, Time to Tackle, the Hampden Sports Clinic and Bonnyrigg Rose to discuss the range of mental health initiatives running in Scottish football.

With the visit also coming on the eve of the Scottish Cup Final, the Duke met with former Scottish Cup winners Chris Iwelumo and Marvin Bartley, who previously won the Scottish Cup with tomorrow’s finalists St Johnstone and Hibs respectively.

David McPhee, Chair of the Scottish Mental Health and Wellbeing League, spoke with the Duke as they took in some action from small-sided matches featuring players from the League.

The League, which was previously run by the Scottish FA, was set up to support recovery and tackle stigma associated with mental health.   

A number of the Mental Health and Wellbeing League players then helped the Duke test his shooting skills, as he took part in a friendly skills challenge with them and former Scotland striker Steven Thompson.

Scotland’s spot-kick hero David Marshall then joined the Duke and other Home Nations players in a zoom conversation to discuss changing the conversation on mental health and their experiences over the past year.

Also taking part in the catch-up ahead of UEFA EURO 2020 were Harry Kane for England, Julie Nelson for Northern Ireland, and Jess Fishlock MBE for Wales.

During his Ainslie Park visit the Duke also met with representatives from the Scottish FA to hear about the progress made in recent years, including the launch of the Scottish FA’s first ever Mental Health Action Plan last year.

The plan, which supports the Royal Foundation’s Heads Up mental health campaign, aims to end the stigma around the issue in football and create an environment for people to talk openly about their mental health in the game.

The Duke learned of the success of the Scottish FA’s mental health e-learning platform, which has seen more than 9,000 players, staff, managers and officials in the Scottish football community complete mental health awareness training through the platform in less than a year.

The module – the first bespoke mental health course created by any of the Home Nations – was developed by the Hampden Sports Clinic in conjunction with Breathing Space and was launched after the Scottish FA signed a joint “Mentally Healthy Football” Declaration as a lasting legacy of the Royal Foundation’s Heads Up campaign.

This commitment saw governing bodies, leagues and organisations from across UK football join in recognising that mental health is as important as physical health, and pioneering a ‘team approach’ on this important issue.

Aldi launches children’s lorry design competition with Team GB

With just over two months until the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Aldi is running a nationwide competition with Team GB, calling on budding child artists to submit a design for its latest lorry. 

The UK’s fifth-largest supermarket is inviting school children aged between five and 14 to enter a hand-drawn design by Friday 25th June that celebrates fresh, healthy food.

The competition is the next step in Aldi’s longstanding partnership with Team GB, and the shortlisted entries will be judged by Team GB athletes – including Max Whitlock, Shauna Coxsey, Lois Toulson, Jade Jones, Lutalo Muhammad, and the Brownlee brothers – who will select one winner for Scotland, and one for England and Wales.

This initiative also forms part of Aldi and Team GB’s Get Set to Eat Fresh programme that aims to inspire young people to build their understanding and love of healthy, fresh food. Over the past five years, the programme has reached more than 1.9 million children across the UK.

Winners will see their design on an Aldi lorry, which will deliver food and drink products to stores across the country.

The supermarket will also reward the winning artists with Aldi vouchers and an exclusive Team GB goody bag. The winners’ schools will receive £1,000 to spend at Aldi.

Mary Dunn, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi, said: “The Design a Lorry competition is the latest in a series of initiatives we’re delivering in partnership with Team GB to encourage young people to think about healthy eating.

“We are looking forward to seeing the entries and hope that those taking part will learn about the benefits of choosing to follow a healthy diet along the way.”

Tim Ellerton, Commercial Director at Team GB, said: “Throughout our partnership with Aldi on the Get Set to Eat Fresh programme they have continuously created new and innovative ideas to engage and inspire young people around the topic of eating fresh and healthy food.

“This is a fun opportunity for school pupils to see their creativity rewarded and for their schools to benefit also. We look forward to seeing the end results.”

Alongside the Design a Lorry competition, the Get Set to Eat Fresh programme also offers a series of teaching resources, which can be used to educate children about eating well, the skills they need to cook for themselves and how fresh, healthy food powers Team GB’s champion athletes.

These can be accessed at getseteatfresh.co.uk/.

Schools and parents can sign up to enter at: getseteatfresh.co.uk/designalorry.

Scottish Cup Final: Police Statement ahead of cup clash

On Saturday, 22 May, 2021, St Johnstone and Hibernian go head to head in the Scottish Cup Final.

There is always significant interest in these extremely important fixtures and despite the match being played behind closed doors, this weekend’s game will be no exception.

The game is eagerly anticipated and passions can run high. However, fans can be assured that preparations for policing any gatherings in relation to the match are well underway with public safety being Police Scotland’s primary concern.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “The Scottish Cup Final on Saturday is an important day for everyone involved with St Johnstone and Hibernian football clubs and we will have an appropriate policing plan in place to maintain public safety.

“It is vitally important that both sets of fans avoid gathering in large groups and stick to the regulations in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“I also want to take this opportunity to remind people that the use of pyrotechnics is extremely dangerous. We have seen from events in recent weeks that the consequences of their use can be severe, you might not just injure yourself using them, but you could also seriously injure those in your vicinity.

“Police Scotland is already working with both teams and our partners, including the Scottish Government, to ensure the match goes ahead safely and supporters follow the restrictions for their own safety and that of the wider public and our officers.

“Our approach throughout the pandemic has been to engage with the public, explain the legislation and encourage compliance, but officers will not hesitate to use enforcement powers as a last resort.”

Local organisations team up to promote good health

A new name will be appearing on Civil Service Strollers shirts this season as a result of a new local partnership.

Strollers club secretary Keith Stewart explained: “We are delighted to announce that this season we have entered an agreement with Pilton Community Health Project (PCHP).

“We are currently looking at the ways that we can work together to promote and deliver effective health and wellbeing practices.

“Here at the Strollers, the tough year that we have all had has opened our eyes to the view that if you are healthy, you are wealthy. So, this season, instead of seeking sponsorship in the current economic climate, we have decided to support PCHP by promoting them on our youth and Lowland League teams shirt fronts and around the pitch at our own expense.

“We look forward to building a strong relationship with PCHP.”

PCHP’s Dawn Anderson said: “Pilton Community Health Project are delighted to announce a new partnership with Civil Service Strollers FC. This opportunity to work alongside Civil Service Strollers will help even more local people take steps to better health and increase access to a wide range of wellbeing initiatives tailored for the Club’s members and their families.

“Together, we hope to increase the impact of our resources locally, sharing ways to cope with the multiple impacts of the pandemic on our community, and ultimately feel stronger through looking after ourselves and each other.

“We welcome this innovative approach by the Civil Service Strollers and look forward to working with their members and developing a strong community partnership.”

Over twenty arrests following Rangers victory celebrations

Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland, Police Scotland’s Divisional Commander for Greater Glasgow, issued a statement last night following the scenes across Glasgow as Rangers fans celebrated their title victory:

“During the evening of Saturday, 15 May 2021, Rangers supporters continued to gather and celebrate the awarding of the league championship trophy in George Square.

“Throughout the day Police Scotland had managed the gathering appropriately tackling anti-social behaviour and encouraging dispersal under Scottish Government Coronavirus regulations.

“As celebrations continued sections of the crowd became increasingly disorderly, property was damaged and people were assaulted. Our officers became the focus of the crowd’s attention with missiles and flares being  thrown at them. Our policing response has been proportionate. We have responded appropriately and consistently to the behaviour of those gathered.

“This disgraceful behaviour which clearly endangered public and officer safety could not be tolerated and officers dressed in full public order equipment and, after appropriate warnings were given, moved in to disperse those present.

“Although most of those present dispersed, a number remained and confronted officers with violence and aggression. Missiles were thrown and officers came under direct attack as George Square and the surrounding area was cleared.

“I strongly condemn the behaviour of these supporters who have not only placed our officers at risk but have sought to damage the image and reputation of this great city, especially during this critical period of the pandemic.

“I would like to place on record my thanks to the police and partners who manged this incident, especially those officers who put themselves in danger to bring this violent and disorderly gathering to an end.

“So far we know that three officers have been injured and more than 20 people have been arrested.

“We will be continuing our enquiries and my message is clear that if you have been involved in these ugly scenes then we you will be identified and arrested.”

Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said last night:

Rangers FC have yet to make a public statement on last night’s events, and neither SPFL or the SFA have commented so far.

Backing Bingham: Scotland star Marc joins campaign for community football facility

A team of amateur footballers from an east Edinburgh neighbourhood are seeking a permanent place to call home and are asking the council for help.

Bingham Athletic Football Club has submitted a bid to The City of Edinburgh Council to take over the lease of the Bingham Pavilion, and are crossing their fingers for a positive result next week.

The Pavillion’s lease is currently held by a private club who have refused to share the facility with the local Bingham lads. But the Bingham team believe that people from the local area should have access to and ownership of this local resource.

Team manager Reece Taylor explained: “The team currently has no access to the Pavilion as the lease is exclusively held by a private football club which charges fees to join. That means we have had to lead quite a nomadic and precarious existence, practising in places that just aren’t fit for purpose.

“As most people know, Bingham is one of the most deprived areas in Scotland, so it isn’t an option for most of these lads to pay membership fees or travel further afield to other areas. By gaining permanent access to the Pavillion, the group will have the opportunity to practice in a proper area and play games which friends, family and the local community can actually attend.”

The club is being supported by the Scottish charity Community Renewal who have been active in the area since 2016.

Community Renewal’s Cris Thacker said: “Everything we do in the neighbourhood starts with listening to what the community of Bingham, Magdalene and The Hays want for their area and then supporting them to achieve those aspirations themselves.

“We have been working closely with the football club and have assisted them in writing the bid. We will also provide ongoing support should their bid be successful.”

The bid has also received a massive show of support from Scottish international footballer, local lad Marc McNulty.

Marc said: “As a budding footballer growing up in Bingham, I know how important it is to have something that is accessible, so I fully support the bid.

“I hope that maybe some of these young guys can go on to have the career I have enjoyed.”

Reece, Cris and all the team now have their fingers crossed that the tender will be awarded in their favour: “It would mean the world to us to have this great resource for the local club. But they won’t be the only ones who benefit.

“This will be a place for the whole community to meet socially and come and support their local team. Plus, we will work with other local clubs and organisations in the hope that they too can make use of the premises.

“We really believe that we can make this a real asset for the community of Bingham.”