AR26 Charity was founded and is led by Scotland Captain Andy Robertson MBE and his wife Rachel. AR26 launched in 2020 and exists to create chances for children and young people across Scotland, closing the gap on disadvantage and levelling the playing field, supporting those all-important first chance in life. We do this via:

 

Football for All – In the Community

We believe every child should have the chance to play football with no barriers and we are on a mission to make this a reality across Scotland. We currently have 9 Football for All sites that deliver free fun and football on weeknights to 6-14 years and complement this with free food, fun and football camps during school holidays. Our camps take the off the pitch education and engagement to the next level by including third parties to deliver informative and inspiring half time team talks to participants. Our current sites include Airdrie - North Lanarkshire, Letham – Perth, Raploch – Stirling, Wester Hailes – Edinburgh, Priesthill – Glasgow South, Firhill – Glasgow North, Lochee – Dundee, Irvine – North Ayrshire and Greenock – Inverclyde. 

 

Football for All – In Schools

We deliver alternate education programmes with football as the line of engagement. One of our programmes is focused on supporting primary 7 pupils in the significant transition from primary to secondary school (Fulfilling Futures through Football – The transfer Window) and the other is focussed on supporting those in secondary school who are disengaged or at risk of disengaging from a full-time school timetable (GOAL Programme). 

 

AR26 Experiences

we deliver one-off / unique experiences for children and young people facing a challenging time in their life. They could have lost a parent / sibling, be facing a critical health diagnosis, be caring for a loved one, be overcoming an accident or going through some hardship / trauma, to name a few. Referrals are by formal third-party referral including pastoral care teams, social work departments, Police, NHS, Third Sector organisations. These experiences aim to put a well-deserved smile on the recipients face and help reinstate their confidence / self-belief at a challenging time in their life. December is when most of our experiences are delivered as Christmas can be a very challenging time for many of our AR6 Experience recipients and their families for many reasons.

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Values

EQUALITY & INCLUSION - All young people in Scotland should have access to support, education, training and a helping hand with job opportunities.

 

 

RESPECT - We view people as individuals regardless of their background. We listen and respect their views, where they have come from and where they want to go to.

 

 

HONESTY - We believe in honesty and transparency in everything that we do.

 

 

AMBITION - We strive to improve the lives of our service users, volunteers & staff.

 

 

LEGACY - We believe in creating a long-lasting impact on individuals and hopefully Scotland as a whole.