The charitable arm of Celtic Football Club has made a donation to help send the Scotland men’s national deaf team to the European championships this summer.
Celtic FC Foundation has donated £6,600 to the cause – which has helped the team reach its £40,000 fundraising goal to pay for the trip to Turkey.
It is the first time the self-funded team has made the competition, with the squad desperate to represent their country.
Joseph Sheridan, secretary of the Scottish Deaf Football Association (SDFA), said: “We are so grateful to Celtic for getting us over the line and to so many others who have helped us along the way.
“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for the men to fulfil a lifelong dream and it is the biggest competition they have ever qualified for. It just means so much to all our players.”
The European Deaf Football Championships 2024 will take place in Turkey between 20 May and 1 June.
The SDFA, which was founded in 1889, does not receive financial support from wider organisations so launched the fundraiser to pay for the travel costs and accommodation.
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The fundraiser will remain open for any further donations for additional support.
Mr Sheridan said: “Life is really difficult being deaf. It has many, many challenges, so for these men to have a chance to represent their country, and knowing that people are behind you, is really something and is really emotional.
“There are around 4,000 deaf kids out there in Scotland and if they see what has happened here, they too can be inspired to go on and achieve their own dreams, in football or any other area of life.”
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Celtic has carried out significant work with deaf people in recent years through a range of initiatives.
The Glasgow club has a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter available for all home games – with two players from the Scotland men’s deaf team recently welcomed to a match at Celtic Park.
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Tony Hamilton, chief executive of Celtic FC Foundation, said: “We are delighted, along with so many others, to have contributed to achieving this target which will allow the team to go to the championships. It is a great collective effort.
“The appeal really resonated with us, given our initiatives working with deaf people.
“The challenges these guys face in everyday life are significant and for them to get to the Euros is a brilliant achievement, which we had to make happen for them.
“We hope they have a really successful tournament but above all enjoy this experience, which they so richly deserve.”
