Street Soccer Scotland
Inspired by the 2003 Homeless World Cup, David Duke, who was sleeping rough at the time, determined to make a difference secured a small grant from a social enterprise fund to start Street Soccer Scotland.
At the Homeless World Cup in 2007 David led Scotland to victory, but he says the build-up to it was more valuable:
“I’d find role models in the coaches and teammates. When you’re living in hostels, it can become easy to get into negative routines. It gave me some positive direction. Street Soccer has always been about scaling the impact. The idea was to have somewhere people can go every day where they can be part of a team and access support.”
In 2021 Street Soccer Scotland opened a permanent base, enabling access to not just fitness and mental health support, but help with housing, drug and alcohol support, and even opening bank accounts which formerly homeless players previously couldn't access.
Today more than 22,500 players have benefitted from Street Soccer programmes, and there’s now a dedicated women’s programme.
Find out more about the inspiring work of Street Scotland Scotland.
An army of helpers
Scotland’s football supporters – also known as the Tartan Army – are known for taking their kilts and vocal support to games both at home and around the world. Although the results don’t always bring joy, the fans play their part in bringing that infamous Scottish spirit wherever they go.
Two fan-led organisations have used football’s sense of community to inspire support for disadvantaged children.
The Tartan Army Children’s Charity started out as an appeal linked to Scotland’s match in Ukraine in 2006, and now helps children both ‘home and away’.
The charity supports organisations for children in need around the world and inspires the next generation of players and fans by welcoming children into the football community through its ‘My First Scotland Match’ programme.
Another Scotland football charity was inspired by a young boy in need of a prosthesis after being injured in the Bosnian War. Now, the Tartan Army Sunshine Appeal supports a local children’s organisation in each country where the Scotland team play an away game – helping to bring some ‘sunshine’ where it’s needed. In 2024, the charity celebrated its 100th consecutive donation.
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