Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
KitAid just the ticket for young fans
Season tickets for football clothing
Airdrieonians Supporters Trust are preparing for the annual kick-off of their fantastic KitAid scheme.
The now annual event sees children donate pieces of football clothing to the Trust in exchange for an Airdrieonians season ticket.
The football strips, which range from popular teams such as Manchester United and Barcelona down to old boys’ club jerseys, are then sent to the charity who take them to Third World countries.
Trust member Dougy Allsop witnessed extreme poverty and deprivation first hand during a Trust visit to Mongolia, and says their donations to KitAid make a “massive difference” to the lives of children.
He told the Advertiser: “When we went to Mongolia, there were young kids who had barely anything to wear.
“They would take your tops, socks and shoes because they needed something to put on.
“Anything to spare for them makes a massive difference, even one jersey.
“You might not think much of it here but to someone on the other side of the world it makes a massive difference.
“The strips are sorted into colours too and are used by teams in Third World countries because they don’t have any strips to wear.
“It gives them the opportunity to play football together and stay clear of gang culture which is common in those parts of the world.”
The Trust’s devotion to the cause has seen them supported by the SYFA, who are donating around 1000 pieces of old Scotland training kit to be handed over.
More than 15,000 items of clothing have been donated since the scheme’s inception four years ago, with around 500 season tickets handed out every summer.
But despite the fantastic figures, Dougy admits they are aiming higher than that this time around.
He continued: “Everybody in the community club will donate a piece of kit, so straight away that’s around 200 season tickets which will be given out.
“I think 600 tickets is a realistic target this year, but people are still welcome to donate even if they don’t want one.
“When we started doing this we didn’t expect it to do so well.
“We had great exposure, though, and are now in our fifth year, so it’s been a huge success.
“We’re an official ambassador club for the KitAid charity and we get donations from all over Scotland.
“We accept more than just football jerseys. We take shorts, football socks, boots, anything that can be used to help others.”
The Trust will begin taking donations at their stall at Airdrie’s Fair Day this Saturday.
Actor Jordan Young – who recently played in the Advertiser’s Hospice charity game – will again dedicate his time to a great cause by heading along to promote it.
The Scot Squad and River City star will be at the stall from 12.30pm until 2.30pm, and donations will be accepted for any fans wishing to take a selfie.