Scotland

Philanthropist James Anderson donates £300,000 to Scottish youth football

| 29 July 2020

Edinburgh-based investment manager James Anderson had already donated to help the women's game.

Scottish youth football has received a £300,000 boost from the Scottish Football Partnership Trust and philanthropist James Anderson.

Over 4,000 teams and 60,000 players are set to benefit from the donation and it will help alleviate increased costs that Scottish Youth FA clubs and parents face due to new safety measures.

James Clydesdale, chair of the Scottish Football Partnership Trust, said: “We greatly appreciate James Anderson’s interest and support and have identified specific areas with the Scottish Youth FA where we can help youth football.”

We are happy to announce that the SPFL Trust has received the biggest personal donation in Scottish football history.

James Anderson's initial grant, worth over £3m, will be used to help @spfl clubs and support their communities during Covid-19.

➡️ https://t.co/G1QPRbTAAP pic.twitter.com/kwRFbIrxFW

— SPFL Trust (@SPFLTrust) June 10, 2020

The SFPT and SYFA proposals include funding to offset membership and affiliation fees for teams competing in small-sided or 11-a-side leagues. There will also be grant support for 2,000 youth coaches and volunteers.

Support was also identified for additional costs of increased safety procedures such as PPE, hand sanitisers, enhanced medical kits and additional training kits and footballs.

Edinburgh-based investment manager Anderson had already donated £250,000 to the SFPT last month to help steer the women’s game through the coronavirus pandemic and made a donation worth £3.125million to the Scottish Professional Football League to give every club access to a £50,000 grant while also aiding community projects at the start of June.