Rovers have charity goal
One of Stirlingshire’s best-known amateur football clubs will kick off its 60th anniversary season with a charity match on Friday , June 28 against Stirling Albion.
Founded in 1960, Cambusbarron Rovers have won the Scottish Amateur Cup three times and a host of other trophies during their existence.
During the anniversary season the club will be arranging a number of events and the first one next week sees them pits their wits at their Mill Road park against Stirling Albion.
As well as being an excellent pre-season match for both teams, the Rovers will be raising money for CHAMP1 Research Foundation. Champ 1 is a rare genetic condition which causes severe speech difficulties and Wallace High School pupil Calum McPherson is one of only 51 diagnosed worldwide with this condition and the only one in Scotland.
Calum and his mum Stacey are in Florida at a CHAMP 1 Conference which brings families and experts together and monies raised at the game will go towards helping with research costs, which will be managed by the foundation to help fully understand the function of the CHAMP 1 gene.
This foundation has recruited geneticists to help launch a study on Calum’s condition and this will help support those affected.
Calum and his family raised money for the Florida trip and Stacey - who is on the board of the CHAMP1 Research Foundation told the Observer earlier this year: “The CHAMP1 Research Foundation has formed a scientific advisory board. There are potential researchers available if our foundation has funding to cover their research costs.
“This research would help to fully understand the function of the CHAMP1 gene in order to develop effective treatment and a potential cure for CHAMP1 disorders.”
Calum was diagnosed with the condition in 2016 and since then Stacey has been on a fundraising mission to help support research into better understanding the condition. She created a Facebook group, in which 45 of 51 affected families worldwide are now connected and have a platform to share their experiences.
Friday’s charity match kicks off at 7pm and there will be after-match hospitality at Foresters pub in the village.
• Cambusbarron Rovers have also started a kids section called “Wee Rovers”. Training has begun for boys and girls from ages fiveseven. It’s free and currently held at the Mill Road park on Mondays from 6-7pm and on Saturdays from 10am-11am.
All coaches are PVG certified and qualified as per SYFA standards. For further details contact either Keith Morrison on 07598 794389 or James Callum on 07815 874440.