Tuesday 23rd August, 2016 at 10:59am
Scottish Premiership Club, Partick Thistle, has today launched its hunt for local unsung Community Champions. In a bid to reward those whose good work in communities around Firhill usually goes unrecognised, the Club is asking for nominations from the community so that it can reward individual’s generosity and compassion with a unique matchday experience.
Whether it’s work with local community organisations or public service workers, emergency services or armed forces (past and present), carers or charity heroes, one Community Champion per home game will be selected to come along and have a day at the football that they will never forget.
In association with Partick Thistle Community Trust, the Club is asking local charities and community groups to nominate a Community Champion, whose community spirit will be publicly recognised by Thistle. McDonalds Maryhill has agreed to sponsor the awards this season.
Ian Maxwell, Partick Thistle Managing Director, Pauline Graham, Partick Thistle Community Trust Director, Lianne Paterson, McDonalds representative, Andy Gibson, McDonalds Maryhill franchise owner
The Community Champion will be invited, with family and friends, to a Ladbrokes Premiership home game where they will be presented with a specially-made award in front of the crowd pre-match. They will do a short interview pitch side with Firhill announcer, Gavin Wallace, before placing the match ball on a plinth for it to be carried on to the pitch for the start of the game. They will also feature in the programme for that game.
Ian Maxwell, Managing director of Partick Thistle Football Club said: “Partick Thistle is proud of its strong links with our local communities and we know the value of the work done by many unsung champions in our local area. There is no way we will ever be able to recognise all the great work, but hopefully, in our own small way, we can recognise, celebrate and reward these incredible individuals for all their hard work. Our thanks go to McDonalds Maryhill for their sponsorship of the Community Champions’ initiative.”
Pauline Graham, Chairman of the Partick Thistle Community Trust, said: “Every day, the Trust meets and deals with people who make a real difference by putting themselves out to regenerate our communities and improve the life chances and enjoyment for local people. We welcome the Club’s willingness to introduce this scheme and are delighted to work with them to give Thistle supporters the chance to really celebrate these wonderful individuals and the work that they do.”
McDonalds Maryhill franchise owner, Andy Gibson, said: “We already have very close ties to the local Maryhill community so it makes perfect sense to tie in with Partick Thistle in this way. The Community Champions scheme is an absolutely fantastic way to reward some truly deserving individuals and I am really looking forward to meeting them, hearing about their stories and seeing first-hand the difference they have made to our local area.”
If you know of someone in the Maryhill area who is deserving of being named a Partick Thistle Community Champion, then you can nominate them now by downloading this form and, once complete, emailing it to the club at or dropping it into the executive offices at Firhill Stadium
If chosen, Community Champions will be contacted directly with the details of the game they have been selected to attend. They must be prepared to allow their information to appear on the Club’s website, in the match programme and in media relations/social media.
