The dad of a Hearts -daft schoolboy who tragically died after collapsing while playing football says he has renewed his son's season ticket.
Andrew MacKinnon fell to the ground during a match at Forrestor High School, Edinburgh, shortly after 3pm on March 14. Emergency services tried desperately to save the 15-year-old, but he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
Heartbroken dad Andy described his son as a "really popular boy" who loved his spending time with his friends and playing football. He made the decision to renew Andrew's season ticket for Heart of Midlothian FC as he couldn't bear the thought of a stranger sitting in his son's seat, Edinburgh Live reports.
Andy said: “That’s me renewed both mine and the wee man’s season tickets for next year, can’t have a stranger sitting in his seat.”
The Scottish football community rushed to support the grieving dad, with many sympathising with the difficult decision and offering their condolences. Andrew's death sent shockwaves throughout the local community, with many paying tribute to the much-loved schoolboy.
During his funeral at St David's Broomhouse Parish Church, extra seating and speakers had to be set up outside the service on March 31 due to the number of mourners that turned out to pay their respects. As well as a member of Salvesen CFC, young Andrew was also proud and devoted Jambo.
Before his funeral, Hearts' official Twitter shared their condolences with the family, saying: "The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Andrew's friends and family at this extremely sad time."
As the funeral procession passed Tynecastle, young mourners set off smoke bombs, sending clouds of blue, red and white into the air as crowds applauded. When Hearts played St Mirren at Tynecastle on April 8, fans on both sides joined in a minute's applause for the tragic youngster as the game entered its 15th minute.
Andrew’s family have since launched a charity in his name to help underprivileged kids play football. On the GoFundMe page, Andy wrote: “Hi, my name is Andy and I’m starting this fundraiser off the back of a post I put on Twitter that has went viral with many people asking if they can contribute.
“On the 14th March 2023 my whole world fell apart when my 15 year old son Andrew collapsed and died whilst doing what he loved, playing football.
“Andrew had a heart condition, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, in 2019 he had an ICD (Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) fitted. Andrew never let his condition get him down or affect his daily life. We are all truly devastated at his loss and I will do all I can to keep his memory alive.
“Andrew was passionate about two things in life, football along with his family/friends.
“I have decided to set up the ‘Andrew MacKinnon Football Foundation’ in his memory. The purpose of this will be to ensure that underprivileged children in the local area are able to play football no matter the financial circumstance they may find themselves in.
"This can come from financial support to help with club fees or even being able to provide necessary equipment (boots, shinguards etc) that I will encourage to be donated by people fortunate enough to be in that position.
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