An anti-poverty initiative that saw rival football fans team up to support good causes in England has arrived north of the border - with its first collections in aid of food banks starting imminently.
Fans Supporting Foodbanks Scotland (FSFS) is borne out of the idea that football fans can come together, even if they back different teams, to support good causes. It has been inspired by the original Fans Supporting Foodbanks initiative that launched in 2015 - which saw Liverpool and Everton followers come together to show solidarity with those experiencing poverty.
Under the banner of "hunger doesn't wear club colours", FSFS is urging supporters of teams all over Scotland to get involved by starting up their own local branches and arranging matchday collections of goods for food banks and community larders. The approach works: in north Liverpool, FSF is thought to account for more than 25 per cent of all food bank donations.
A spokesperson for FSFS added “We want to unite supporters of every single club in Scotland. No matter how big or small the supporter base is there is a place for all supporters of football to get involved in FSFS.
"We want to show how inclusive, powerful and community focused that football fans in Scotland can be when we stand together to tackle issues like poverty. This isn’t about party politics or one football club over another, it's about showing the difference that fan activism can make and football fans standing in solidarity with one another to support foodbanks during a cost of living crisis."
FSFS launched on Tuesday with the backing of supporters from five football clubs: Patrick Thistle, Kilmarnock, Celtic, Dundee and Dundee United. In the long term, those behind the initiative want all 42 major teams in Scotland to get on board.
It will unveil a banner alongside founding members of the Liverpool movement and carry out its first food collection this Saturday outside Celtic Park, ahead of the Hoops' friendly against Blackburn Rovers.
The spokesperson added: "No one should go hungry, no one should live in poverty - and as football fans we want to do our bit to support those in our communities who are struggling the most."
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