CELTIC FC Foundation, the Club’s charitable arm, is delighted to launch the Christmas Appeal phase of its Football for Good Fund (FFGF) and once again, the Club has kicked off the campaign with a wonderful donation of £10,000.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 has been a horrendous year for so many of us. The Foundation’s response was to launch the FFGF in March and this is now edging towards £1m.

The Christmas Appeal phase starts today, Friday, November 6, exactly 133 years since the formation of Celtic Football Club, in St Mary’s Church Hall in East Rose Street, in the Calton.

Through the FFGF, we have provided food and essentials to thousands of vulnerable families, individuals, pensioners, refugees, the homeless and NHS frontline staff. But the challenges are only increasing for so many people.

Although the festive period is generally a happy and joyful time for most of us, many face financial hardship and the inability to meet the demands of Christmas. And the crippling effects of the pandemic have only added unbearably to the pressures, with more and more people experiencing bleak times.

Through the Appeal, we want to help hundreds of local families facing poverty, giving them the kind of Christmas most of us take for granted. With lots of food on the table and gifts for the kids. Making sure Santa pays a visit on Christmas Eve, despite COVID-19.

We also want to support pensioners on our doorstep, by lending a hand at a difficult time of year. Local charities need our help too. We can make a massive difference to the lives of children, the homeless, refugees and those living in refuge or facing other challenges.

The generosity and compassion of the Celtic Family is truly unrivalled and once again, we are looking for your support, to get behind this Christmas Appeal phase of the FFGF.

We are a Club like no other, and together, we can continue to bring comfort to those who need it most.

Since March 2020, all of our standard fundraising activities have been cancelled or paused. However, in addition to humbly requesting donations, we are still offering supporters the chance to get involved through a number of virtual events and initiatives. These include:

• Virtual Toy Drive which will start today – to support sick or disadvantaged children.
• A new Foundation t-shirt coming soon – to support our refugee charity partners.
• Stay up for the Champions sponsored event, on Friday, December 4/Saturday, December 5 – to support our homeless and women’s aid charity partners.
• Our Letter from Santa initiative, which will be available from Wednesday, November 18 to Friday, December 11 for international supporters and Monday, December 14 for those in the UK and Ireland – to support children and families.
• Ghirls for Good, sponsored by the Ellen Kane Trust. We are currently exploring potential opportunities in respect of a virtual event – to support children and families.

In addition, we will have a Christmas Appeal designated matchday for Celtic’s encounter with St Johnstone on Sunday, December 6, to support families and pensioners:

• Shirt Auction – thanks to the incredible support and generosity of Club sponsors Dafabet and Magners, the Celtic first team will sport our unique Christmas Appeal branding on their Hoops. A selection of the shirts – together with those from the AC Milan match on Thursday, December 3 complete with Celtic FC Foundation branding – will then made available via an online charity auction through our eBay account.
• Virtual Bucket Collection – to replace our physical matchday collection, which takes place once a year, we will be offering supporters the opportunity to contribute virtually.
• Pass to Paradise broadcast – this will focus on the Appeal and share news and opportunities with supporters.

Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell said: “The work carried out through the Football for Good Fund has been remarkable and we sincerely thank our fans their magnificent support of this initiative.  We have helped thousands of people in need already, distributed

more than £900,000 of support and will continue to do all we can to make a positive difference to many.

“The Foundation’s work around the festive period has always been crucial but there is even greater significance this year, due to the additional burdens associated with the current pandemic.

“It is an honour for the Club to launch the Christmas Appeal phase of the FFGF with a donation of £10,000.

“The needs of the most vulnerable in our communities are greater than ever before, particularly at a time of year that is already notoriously challenging for so many.

“Despite the difficulties presented by the COVID-19 crisis, our hope is that the Appeal, which is perfectly aligned with the proud charitable beginnings of our Club, will provide a little festive comfort to so many vulnerable children and families, the elderly and those we support through our trusted charity partners.”

Celtic FC Foundation Chief Executive, Tony Hamilton, added: “2020 has been a year to forget for all of us, but what we won’t forget this Christmas are the people in our communities who need help the most.

“Our annual Christmas Appeal in 2020 is an extension of the FFGF we set up in Spring, and we must recognise that many Celtic fans have already contributed to that. It’s been an amazing response so far but there are months and months of this ahead of us still.

“And we need your help again right now for Christmas. If you can please help us it will make a massive difference to many families and people who rely on charities, and whose lives are often in chaos, even without COVID.

“You can make Christmas special for countless people who are struggling in this of all years, and we are extremely grateful for anything you can do.”

HERE is a reminder of the incredible difference you made in 2019. Thank you for your wonderful support.

To get behind the Christmas Appeal phase of the FFGF, you can:

1. Donate by text – text ‘CELTIC’ followed by ‘£1’, ‘£5’ or ‘£10’ to 70085*
2. Donate online HERE
3. Donate via PayPal HERE
4. Donate via Facebook HERE
5. Donate in Cash – there are collection boxes located in all Celtic Stores
6. Donate by Cheque – payable to ‘Celtic FC Foundation’ and sent to Celtic FC Foundation, Celtic Park, Glasgow G40 3RE.
7. Contribute to our Virtual Toy Drive HERE
8. Provide support through your Christmas shopping via Give as you Live and AmazonSmile HERE
9. Sign up for our Stay Up for the Champions sponsored event on Friday, December 4 / Saturday, December 5 – news coming soon!
10. Contribute via our Christmas Appeal eBay auction, featuring shirts from the AC Milan v Celtic match on Thursday, December 3 (with Celtic FC Foundation branding) and Celtic v St Johnstone on Sunday, December 6 (with Christmas Appeal branding). The auction will run from Monday, December 7 – Saturday, December 12.
11. Make a donation to receive your ‘Celtic FC Foundation Letter from Santa’– further details to follow.
12. Purchase your copy of the stunning Gerard Burns Glittering Prize, the perfect Christmas Gift HERE
13. Contribute via our Virtual Bucket Collection on Sunday, December 6.
14. Look out for news coming soon on our Ghirls for Good alternative.

Thank you for your magnificent support.

*Texts will cost the donation amount, plus one standard rate message.