Scottish Football, one of the most community engaged in the world!

The Scottish Professional Football League has been recognised as one of the most community engaged leagues in the world, according to an international survey across 5 continents. Based on the clubs’ levels of social responsibility, including their initiatives in the community, Scotland is placed 4th out of the top 25 football-ranked countries!

It is estimated that Scottish football clubs engage with about 710,000 people every year, through a vast range of community projects and that include programmes of support delivered by Big Hearts, charity partner of Heart of Midlothian.

Since 2015, Big Hearts uses the power of the Club’s crest to reach out and support those most vulnerable in the community, working closely with the Club and local partners to develop meaningful activities where need is identified. Big Hearts’ Kinship Care programme, Football Memories project and Big Hearts Supporters’ initiative are all built on this idea that football can help improve outcomes for vulnerable families in our community.

Craig Wilson, Big Hearts interim general manager, said:
“We welcome this great news from the SPFL Trust. It confirms that Big Hearts’ strategy, using football as a way to deliver social changes, goes towards the SPFL Trust’s ambition to make the Scottish Professional Football League the most community engaged league in the world”.
“We have been delighted to work with the SPFL Trust earlier this year, opening here at Tynecastle their ‘Trusted Trophy’ tour of the 22 Scottish clubs. The initiative has been a fantastic way to shine a light on all the community projects in place and we have been thrilled to be the very first football club’s charity sharing our work and particularly our programme for Kinship Care families”.
“Moving forward, the success of our Big Hearts’ Supporters initiative, the first of its kind in Scottish football, also demonstrates that football supporters have a role to play in engaging with and supporting vulnerable individuals in the community.”