Latest news with #StreetSoccer
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
The Comedy Army – Comedy on Prescription begins on Monday in Edinburgh
The Comedy Army are trying to spark change. On Monday, the worlds of comedy and football collaborate as Comedy Army and Simon Community Scotland, with support from Street Soccer and the Ripple, deliver a unique day of Comedy-on-Prescription – blending stand-up, live sport, music, workshops, and film. This one-day preview highlights the power of laughter, connection, and creativity in tackling one of the UK's most urgent social crises: homelessness. The movement kicks off in classic Scottish style with banter, boots, and a ball in a match at Meadowbank Sports Centre which starts at noon under captain Des Clarke. Live commentary will be provided by Bruce Devlin and Susie McCabe. The moment will then go nationwide on 8 October with Comedians Vs. Homelessness: a one-day comedy takeover in clubs, theatres, and venues across the nation during World Homeless Week, raising vital funds and awareness for homelessness prevention. The homelessness crisis we can't ignore UK-wide, over 400,000 people are experiencing homelessness, including 160,000 children rough sleeping in the UK is up 20% in the last year alone In Scotland, 33,619 households were assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness in 2023/24—up 4% on last year. Within these households were 38,075 adults and 15,474 children. One in every 165 people in the UK has no stable home Beyond rough sleeping, most homelessness is hidden—families in B&Bs, people sofa-surfing, and young people without safe housing The Day's Line-Up | Monday 18 August 2025 – Edinburgh Public tickets available: JoJo Sutherland Jojo Sutherland, Co-Founder, Comedy Army – who in her spare time had four children, two divorces, and one brain haemorrhage said: 'Every comedian I know is well aware of the therapeutic power of comedy – that's why we are comedians. My own personal stories of grief, trauma and chaos have been regaled to audiences worldwide over the last 25 years. But it's the industry we try to survive in that created the reason for this event. Comedians Vs. Homelessness isn't a charity gig with line-ups thrown together to grab headlines: it's comedians from across the spectrum coming home to the circuit for one cause: to stand up for some of the most vulnerable in society, to help them stand up for themselves. Comedians v Homelessness will help provide a home for those who struggle to be heard.' Tommy Sheppard, Founder, Stand Comedy Club, said: 'Humour is how human beings deal with adversity and tragedy. It allows us to survive. It is essential to our basic humanity. That's why the best comedy is about real life experience, warts and all. And that's why comedy clubs and comedians engage with the world, working to make it better. We support this important campaign to shine a light on the greatest social scourge of our time, the lack of shelter.' Ricky Kerr, Service Lead, Simon Community (Scotland) said: 'Community and relationships are at the heart of what we do. We're delighted to work with Comedy Army to bring hope, opportunity, and positive change to those affected by homelessness. Through comedy, sport, and creativity, we aim to shine a light on the people most impacted by inequality. We believe it is vital that the people we support are included in the Fringe as valued members of our community. This gala day is about inclusion, connection, and celebrating the voices of some of the most marginalised people in Edinburgh during the world's largest arts festival.' Robbie Wood, Regional Manager, Street Soccer Scotland said: 'Our mission is to create hope and opportunity for all. We support thousands of players each year on their journey to positive change, and are proud to work with Comedy Army and community partners who share our values.' Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Glasgow players in Team Scotland squad for Homeless World Cup
Glasgow players are part of Team Scotland's squad aiming to make history at the Homeless World Cup. The tournament, now in its 20th year, will take place in Oslo from August 23 to 30, bringing together more than 500 players from around the world. Among Team Scotland's line-up are five players from Glasgow: William, 29; Ali A, 23; Ali T, 21; Paul, 39; and Mo E, 18. Derek Ferguson will manage the team (Image: Supplied) David Duke MBE, founder and chief executive officer of Street Soccer Scotland, said: "We're thrilled to be heading back to Oslo for this year's Homeless World Cup and to offer our players the incredible opportunity to represent their country. "Having captained Team Scotland in 2004, I've witnessed firsthand the powerful impact this tournament can have. Read more: Glasgow health centre setting new benchmark with Amazon-powered healthcare "At the heart of everything we do, both on and off the pitch, are hope, purpose, and meaningful connections. "I'm incredibly proud of the team we've assembled and hope the whole nation will get behind this talented group of players." Team Scotland has previously won the Homeless World Cup twice, in 2007 and 2011. The tournament uses football as a tool for social inclusion, helping to build confidence, community, and challenge the stigma of homelessness. Derek Ferguson, a former professional footballer and media personality from North Lanarkshire, will manage the team. Mr Ferguson said: "It's an honour to stand beside this incredible team as we head to the Homeless World Cup. "I'm proud of every single player – not just for their talent, but for their resilience, heart, and determination. "We're ready to compete with pride, represent Scotland, and bring the hat-trick of titles home where it belongs." The team is sponsored by the Burness Paull Foundation, The Malcolm Group, The David Yarrow Family Foundation, and The Hunter Foundation. Support also comes from the Scottish FA, Powerleague, SportScotland, ScotRail and the Hampden Sports Clinic.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
William shows off football skills in partnership with Street Soccer Scotland
The Prince of Wales has kicked off a partnership with a Scottish football charity and hinted that an Aston Villa favourite could join him for the next visit. William joined a practice session run by Street Soccer Scotland, being backed by his Royal Foundation, which will fund a range of initiatives at the charity's branch in Leith, near Edinburgh. The financial support from the foundation's Community Impact Project will also help the charity create Leith United – a collaboration with Leith Community Centre and YMCA Edinburgh. The prince met YMCA user Shaniah Gilgun, aged 10, and learnt about her efforts with other youngsters to improve housing conditions in the area, but the conversation turned to football when he spotted a poster of Aston Villa. Villa fan William mentioned the club's captain, who also leads the Scottish national side, telling Shaniah: 'Maybe I should bring John McGinn… might have to wait till he retires – we'll put it in the pipeline.' He added: 'He promised me he would come up and show me around.' After asking a group of children about their football teams during his visit to the community centre, he said of son Prince Louis: 'My youngest supports five different teams now.' Shaniah later mentioned William's praise for her housing campaign: 'He said it was a really good thing and that we should keep doing it and only good will come out of it. 'When he mentioned John McGinn, I said, 'That's a deal'.' Street Soccer Scotland was founded by David Duke in Leith in 2009 before he opened centres across Scotland to deliver free football-themed training and personal development programmes to support people experiencing issues like poor mental health, addiction, homelessness and isolation. The charity will use the Royal Foundation grant to renovate Leith Community Centre, enhance sports-based initiatives at the site, enable outreach work in the community and fund an impact manager over three years to co-ordinate grassroots leaders and local partnerships.
Scottish Sun
28-04-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Football charity encourages Scots to donate old kits to help vulnerable people
A FOOTBALL charity hopes fans get a kick out of their new scheme – selling retro kits to help bring vulnerable people into the beautiful game. Street Soccer yesterday announced the launch of Kitback, a new project taking advantage of the popularity of old strips to raise much-needed funds. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 David Duke MBE founded Street Soccer Scotland 16 years ago. Credit: Andrew Barr 2 It's hoped the scheme will help thousands of people. Credit: Andrew Barr People can donate their pre-loved shirts at dedicated drop-off points or by post which will then be upcycled and sold with one kit supporting a for a whole month. Founder David Duke launched the charity 16 years ago after living in shelters and has since helped more than 25,000 folk going through their own struggles, such as addiction, homelessness, mental health and poverty. The charity boss, 45, said: 'We're currently in an environment where there's funding cuts at various levels and when you try to align the demand on your services with funding cuts, it doesn't really work. 'For us, rather than standing still and reducing services, it was about how we could be a wee bit more proactive to raise funds. Every time we get a shirt donated, that effectively allows somebody to come to Street Soccer for a month. 'When someone donates a kit or buys a kit, it unlocks an opportunity. The key thing for us is to make it affordable and all the money and every bit of profit goes towards supporting Street Soccer.' The initiative has already been backed by football clubs and businesses all over the UK. Fulham FC Foundation has become the first professional club to donate to Kitback with others set to follow suit in the coming weeks and months. Anyone who donates a kit is also added to the newsletter list so they can see the real impact of their kindness. David said: 'At the Euros I must have bought about three or four different Scotland shirts but how often do I wear them? They're just sitting there. 'Rather than clogging up your space, they could do a lot of good if donated. Not everybody can afford to support charities with cash. We need to realise that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting everybody and that this is just as valuable. 'It can create a circular economy with zero waste too. There's going to be loads of accessible drop-off points. And again, the great thing about it when you drop it off is that we'll keep a note here. What does Rangers takeover mean for the club - finance expert speaks out 'We'll add you to the supporters' group so that every six months we'll produce an impact report saying how much donated kit we've received and how much money. 'It's about building a relationship with the people who actually give it to you. We just don't want to say thanks for that, see you later. We want to bring people on the journey and share what we're trying to do. Even just one football shirt being kept in play for nine months is a 30 per cent decrease in its carbon emission. 'It's a win for the people and it's a win for the planet. And it's not often you get the opportunity to achieve that.' David hopes the project proves to be a major success and that it'll help support more people who need their help. He'd love for the issues facing folk to go away and for nobody to be struggling. But he's ready to fill the gap that other services aren't providing until then. The website to buy retro shirts goes live next month and he is calling on people to get involved and make a difference. He said: 'Street Soccer was based on my own experience of how football can help you navigate through difficult times. "I was a young person living in a homeless hostel in Glasgow and football was like a rope that pulled me out of a dark hole. FOOTIE FREEDOM BRIAN Pearson credits Street Scotland with helping him beat addiction and find hope through football. The volunteer, 49, takes weekly training sessions for the charity after being put through his UEFA coaching badges. He's now an integral part of the charity and works with players from the age of 16 up to pensioners – including his own son Ruari, 17, and dad Brian Sr, 68. Brian, from Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, said: 'It's about working together to get the best out of everybody. It's not so much games, it's more just fun. Street Soccer is about supporting and promoting teamwork. You feel like you're part of a family.' The coach, who had two spinal surgeries, added: 'I'm trying to get as far as I can with the walking stick. I don't have any feeling in my left leg. It's totally numb with the nerve damage and the pain can be phenomenal. 'But my purpose is to see the smile on my guys and lassies' faces on a Monday at the session. It's amazing and it sets you up for the rest of the week.' 'The bigger Street Soccer becomes, it shows that there's still things that need to be fixed in our society. Like making sure people have the opportunity to be part of something and have access to mental health services. 'We're plugging quite a lot of gaps so I think the ambition for Street Soccer - and it's been the same ever since day one - is that there's somebody out there who might be struggling, disconnected or cut off needing some sort of support service. 'But they maybe don't know how to access it because they're isolated. Our strategy is the same every day - there's somebody out there who needs our support and how do we find them? 'This new project is exciting. We're not just doing it because we think it's a good idea, we're doing it because we need to do something. 'There's people there who need support and this is an easy way for anyone to help. I think 99 per cent of society wants to make the world a better place, it's just about how we can help them do that.' Follow Kitback on Instagram for more info.
Glasgow Times
28-04-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Football kit donation project Kitback launched in Glasgow
Street Soccer Scotland's 'Kitback' campaign, launched today (Monday, April 28), is looking for people to swap their cash donations for old football kits. The charity's founder, David Duke, from Govan, said: 'Glasgow's got such a rich footballing history, and every fan probably has old football tops or shorts gathering dust in a cupboard. 'Every kit has a story and heritage behind it, and we don't want to see them go to a dump and go in the landfill. 'With 'Kitback', we're looking to give these strips a new lease of life, and either be used by one of the players on our teams or sold to raise vital funds to help them – if you give us a shirt, then we can turn it into a donation. (Image: Jeff Holmes) 'It saves them from going to waste and is better for the environment, so it's very much a win-win, you can protect the planet and help people at the same time. 'Times are tough just now, and this is a way we can ask people to help those in need without spending any money. 'It's about 'old strips with new goals', and is more than just a campaign; it's a movement that brings together our shared passion for football and our collective commitment to helping our local communities." Football shirts have risen in popularity in recent years, becoming both a fashion statement and a fan's matchday staple. Street Soccer is looking to cash in on the trend with some tops being sold online for hundreds of pounds. READ NEXT: Celtic legend's famous football tops expected to make £100,000 at auction | Glasgow Times Kitback will have donated shirts for sale, and says that buying from them helps people while adding a new kit to your collection. David shared his enthusiasm for having a good show of shirts from his hometown: 'I'd love to see us get shirts from all over the city, from Partick Thistle to Pollok and Rangers to Celtic, I'd love to see loads of kits from Glasgow.' English Premier League team Fulham FC have donated full strips, and Street Soccer hopes to see more clubs get involved. The charity was started in 2009 by David, who was homeless for three years and played for Scotland in the Homeless World Cup. He then worked in the homeless sector, helping those in need, and launched the charity to provide others with the benefits he gained from football. (Image: Jeff Holmes) David explained: 'I wanted to create something to offer other people what I got from football. 'It gives you community without judgement, a pillar of support, and people you can rely on for those who feel isolated or are going through a difficult time. 'People need to feel hope, and living in this environment means people are faced with a lack of it. 'Football, being part of a team, offers that hope and a sense of belief and community they need. "They also get access to other support services through us so that we can help them without expectations, only reassurance that we are here to inspire them to be all they can be.' (Image: Jeff Holmes) Street Soccer started with a drop-in session in Townhead in the city centre and has now expanded to 63 projects running every week. The charity has helped over 25,000 people since it was launched 16 years ago. David said that demands on their services are increasing all the time, and cuts to funding mean they're looking to raise funds in different ways. To get involved and donate your old tops, visit
