Fans Supporting Foodbanks - Putting rivalries aside for greater good

The scene outside Celtic Park is one being repeated across the SPFL since Fans Supporting Foodbanks made its way north of the border in July. Originally a collaboration between Liverpool and Everton supporters, a chance meeting between Harris and organiser Ian Byrne, now an MP on Merseyside, led to a now rapidly growing movement making a real difference for those in need.

Andy Harris (far left) helped bring the project to Scotland (Image: Fans Supporting Foodbanks Scotland)

"I was a big admirer of what they were doing," Harris says. "It’s a way of making a real difference that is also very convenient for people, because all they have to do is bring a tin with them as they’re on their way to the football and drop it at the collection. The cost-of-living crisis has made me kick into gear about getting it going, not just sitting admiring it happening at other clubs down in England."

With help from fellow supporters Neil Cowan, Martin Smith and Robert Foster, Harris revealed the initiative has formed groups at Celtic, Rangers, Kilmarnock, Dundee United, Dundee and Motherwell, with more in the pipeline. Collections are held outside stadia pre-match before donations are delivered to various foodbanks in the local areas. The Celtic branch, for example, collects in the east end for Carntyne and Riddrie Foodbank and Credit Union, St Michael's Church, the Everlasting Foodbank, St Joachim's and at St Roch's Primary, a school operating its own foodbank for pupils and their families.

“We felt we had an opportunity to bring a campaign to improve the lives of people all across the country to a massive audience, while also doing a good thing for the communities that need help right now," Harris said. "That was a very big part of it. There's also a political element because we're calling for a universal right to food. It's a way of engaging people, giving them an easy opportunity to get involved in politics and have a say in what they want from their country. So many are so disengaged and so many of our politicians are so out of touch with ordinary people."

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It seems to be working. Harris confessed to be being "blown away" by the level of generosity shown at collections, all the more heartening considering recent data suggests many supporters are finding it increasingly difficult to afford a day out at the football, never mind bring along a donation for others. Football fans in Scotland have not always been portrayed in a positive light, and can be still viewed with a suspicion, or downright contempt, rarely applied to followers of other sports. It's a reputation often at odds with reality, not least given how large numbers are stepping up to give selflessly on a match day.

“Some elements of the media love to say whatever they can about football fans," Harris said. "It reminds me of the day before the Celtic and Rangers game in September, we had Henry McLeish, a former first minister, talking about how the cost-of-living crisis would see us return to football hooliganism.

“That completely unfounded opinion was enough to make front page news because it was talking about football fans being bad. The day after that we did one of the biggest ever collections at a Scottish football game. Guess what didn’t get on the front page? It wasn’t a surprise that we got a positive response, but just how good it was came as a shock. Football fans are a very generous bunch.

The project is aiming for representation at all 42 SPFL grounds (Image: Fans Supporting Foodbanks)

“Whatever people want to say about them, there’s a lot more that unites than divides. For the most part, they are working people who have a wee bit of time at the end of their week to go along and do something they enjoy. There’s a community in doing that, and they’re part of the communities they’re going along to at whatever stadium it is. They recognise these are ordinary people who need help.

“It could be me one day, so apart from anything else, it’s paying it forward. It’s that real sense of community we want to harness. It’s a very simple thing to come along and drop in a tin of beans – it’s going to make a massive difference in someone’s life. You might never meet them, but you know there’s somebody in a tough situation who could really use the support.”

That support is needed now more than ever. Working hand-in-hand with foodbanks gives Harris first-hand perspective on the soaring demand for their services, and it's clear people can be assure their donations are making a real difference.

“The foodbanks are crying out for them," Harris admitted. "One of the people who runs one of the food banks, John, is very good at telling people on Twitter what he needs. As the cost-of-living crisis has hit, I’ve watched it get worse. It’s becoming more and common that he’ll put up a tweet of empty shelves to say they’re completely out and need a full restock. A few months ago, it used to be once every few weeks, but it’s now two to three times a week. Our food banks are completely running out and are absolutely desperate for any donation we can give them.”

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It's why continued growth is a high priority for Harris and his colleagues. Their long-term aim is to be represented outside all 42 SPFL grounds on match days, and are always on the lookout for like-minded people to help them get there.

“A big part of it is pinning down groups that already exist," Harris explained. "We’re a good community that understands a role we can play to help other people. There are lots of clubs that already have things like this set up. It’s about finding them to see if they’d like to become part of our network. They’d still be doing the same thing, although we’re able to give them any support we can. They also sign up to supporting a universal right to food.

“The other side is trying to find people across Scottish football who may be interested. A big part of it is doing what we do, allowing people to see it, then they get in touch with us themselves. That’s how we got the two groups that started up after we initially got going – the Rangers and Motherwell groups. They saw what we were doing and thought it was a really good thing."

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Down the years, Scottish football has struggled to shake a reputation for being frustratingly parochial and insular, but these perceptions are becoming increasingly outdated - at least, where supporters attitudes are concerned.

With FSF, there's clearly potential for a level of cross-club co-operation the likes of which our game has never seen before, and while that's a heartening prospect, it carries the caveat that it clearly should not be incumbent on football fans to provide aid to combat years of political failure.

The project's growth, however, could be greatly accelerated with further support from clubs themselves. Plenty are placing great emphasis on engaging with the community and you feel there are opportunities to work with FSF that would be mutually beneficial, as some are already doing.

"Dundee, as soon as they found out what we were doing, they not only helped them out with publicity, they put up a table at their training ground for the players to donate," Harris revealed. “Gordon Strachan comes out sometimes and takes photos with the guys so they can get a few shares on social media. Partick Thistle have been absolutely brilliant with our group. Ian McCall regularly helps with delivering the donations. The group at Thistle is very well run and they’ve produced some merchandise, which the club have promoted on official channels.

“Dundee United have been really good, as have Kilmarnock. There’s been a good reception for it, and we’ve seen that the more clubs are willing to get involved, the better the return we get. We’d encourage clubs to get involved as much as they can. If not? No bother, we’ll just continue doing what we’re doing."

You can keep up to date with Fans Supporting Foodbanks and their latest collections via @FSFScotland on Twitter.