It's not right that so many people can’t afford to feed their families and need to turn to food banks.
The anti-poverty charity Trussell has launched a ‘Football vs Hunger’ campaign, aimed at urging football clubs and supporters to take action to end hunger in Scotland.
During the 2023/24 Scottish Premier League season, 211,609 emergency food parcels were distributed across Scotland, with 69,148 provided to children facing hunger.
The Football vs Hunger campaign calls on clubs to encourage fans to chant “stamp out poverty” at matches and sign up for Trussell FC, a movement aimed at ending the need for food banks in Scotland. Clubs supporting the initiative are also asking fans to join the fight to eliminate food poverty.
Francis Smith, CEO of St Johnstone FC, where the campaign was launched this month, said: “Football has a proud history of leading the way in shaping a better society, by uniting as one voice.
She noted how food banks are a lifeline for people facing hardship but are not the solution.
“All of us at St Johnstone FC believe that everyone should have enough money to afford the essentials and that there shouldn’t be a single person in our community who has to experience hunger.
“Everyone at the club is so proud of how Saints fans already rally to support the local food bank. That’s why we want to encourage you to join football’s fight against hunger, and sign for Trussell FC – the only other team we’ll wholeheartedly encourage you to support,” Smith added.
Football presenter Jeff Stelling is also backing the campaign. He spoke of how he wouldn’t have expected hunger to be such a significant issue in Britain in 2025, but instead has “become one of the most critical concerns in modern Britain.”
“It’s just not right that so many people can’t afford to feed their families and need to turn to food banks.
“That’s why I’m proud to support Football vs Hunger and join the football community helping to end the need for food banks.”
Lori Hughes, project manager at Perth and Kinross foodbank, said that football might be made up of great rivalries, but one thing the football community can agree on is that we need to end hunger in the UK.
“Football vs Hunger is a rallying cry for everyone who loves the game to stand up for the people in their communities who can’t afford the essentials. So whatever colour shirt you wear, sign up to Trussell FC and join the football wide effort to end the need for food banks,” said Hughes.
Image credit: Trussell – X
Left Foot Forward doesn't have the backing of big business or billionaires. We rely on the kind and generous support of ordinary people like you.
You can support hard-hitting journalism that holds the right to account, provides a forum for debate among progressives, and covers the stories the rest of the media ignore. Donate today.
