Football charity Street Soccer launches recycled football kit initiative to raise funds

Award winning football charity Street Soccer has launched a new initiative involving upcycled football shirts.

Kitback will collect pre-owned football shirts from donors at dedicated drop-off points or by post and upcycle them in preparation for resale.

The shirts will then be put up for sale and all proceeds will go towards supporting people suffering from homelessness, poor mental health, social exclusion, substance use and poverty.

The charity, which has had kits donated from English Premier League side Fulham FC, is urging people to donate their old kits to “empower peoples lives”.

Brian Pearson has been involved in Street Soccer for four years. STV News

Street Soccer founder, David Duke, from Govan, said: “Kitback 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 has a unique ability to unite people behind social causes and through Kitback, supporters can make a real difference.

“By donating your pre-loved football shirts and buying from Kitback when adding a new kit to your collection, you’re not only reducing environmental waste but also helping to empower and enrich people’s lives through everything we do at Street Soccer.”

Street Soccer started with a drop-in session in Townhead in Glasgow city centre in 2009 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, including Brian Pearson, who struggled with addiction for 20 years before the initiative “gave him a purpose”.

“I think the guys and girls that come to our sessions, they suffer the same problems, the same issues, and whether it be isolation, mental health, addiction and so with that having, you know, the same issues as these guys, it helped me go forward”, the 49-year-old said.

“I used tricks that they knew, how to keep yourself clean, how to keep yourself motivated and when Street Soccer said to me, don’t worry about your mobility, move onto the coaching side of things, it seems to have worked well for myself.

“I’m still involved, heavily involved. It’s such a sense of community. When you’re at Street Soccer, you feel a connection with the team.

“Street Soccer has given me a purpose, but it’s time for me to push the rest.

“What I’m doing is available for everyone. There’s no limits and you may think you can’t, but you can. It’s there on a weekly basis, there’s thousands of players now.”