The Celtic Football Club charity has made a donation to send Scotland’s men’s national team for the deaf to this summer’s European Championship.
The Celtic FC Foundation donated £6,600 to the cause, helping the team achieve their goal of raising £40,000 to fund the trip to Turkey.
This is the first time the self-funded team has competed in the competition, and the team is desperate to build their country.
Joseph Sheridan, secretary of the Scottish Football Association for the Deaf (SDFA), said: “We are so grateful to Celtic for helping us cross the line and so many others who have helped us along the way.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for men to achieve their life’s dream and it’s the biggest festival they’ve ever qualified for. It means a lot to all of our players. “
The 2024 European Football Championship for the Deaf will be held in Turkey from May 20 to June 1.
The SDFA, founded in 1889, does not receive money from wider organizations and has therefore introduced a fundraiser to pay for travel and accommodation expenses.
The fundraiser will be open to more donations for more support.
Mr. Sheridan said, “Life is really hard to be deaf. It has a lot of challenges, so for those men to have the ability to build their country and know that the others are you, it’s really anything and it’s really emotional.
“There are around 4,000 young deaf people in Scotland and if they see what has happened here, they can also be encouraged to pass on their own dreams, in football or in any other area of life. “
Celtic has worked with deaf people over the years through a number of projects.
The Glasgow club has a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter for all home matches; Recently, two players from Scotland’s deaf men’s team were welcomed for a match at Celtic Park.
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Tony Hamilton, chief executive of the Celtic FC Foundation, said: “We are delighted, along with so many others, to have contributed to this purpose that will see the team progress to the championship. It’s a wonderful team effort.
“This call resonated with us, given our projects with deaf people.
“The demanding situations that these guys face in life are significant and for them, getting to the Euros is a brilliant achievement, which we had to achieve for them.
“We hope they have a successful tournament, but above all that they enjoy the pleasure they deserve so much. “