Scottish football charities unite in £850,000 partnership to tackle child poverty
The Killie Community joins major new Centre Circle partnership, bringing whole-family support to families across Ayrshire
The Killie Community is teaming up with four other leading football charities in Scotland in a major new partnership to tackle child poverty, backed by £850,000 of Whole Family Support funding.
The partnership will establish five Centre Circle Whole Family Hubs across East Ayrshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Aberdeen and Inverclyde, providing accessible support to families experiencing financial hardship.
Centre Circle is an innovative model designed to help families access inclusive and preventative support at their local football ground, a place they already know and trust.
The partnership aims to support 500 families in its first year, providing relationship-based, whole-family support to help households improve their financial stability, wellbeing and resilience.
Football sits at the heart of communities across Scotland, creating welcoming and relaxed environments where people can connect and access support without judgement. Centre Circle will build on that unique position, combining the local knowledge and trusted relationships of five football charities with a shared delivery framework and common outcomes across five regions.
Big Hearts Community Trust, the charity of Heart of Midlothian FC, will lead the Centre Circle partnership, with The Killie Community acting as the strategic delivery partner across Ayrshire.
The partnership also includes Falkirk Football Community Foundation, Aberdeen FC Community Trust and Morton in the Community.
Jordan Allison, Head of Charity at The Killie Community, said:
“Families across Ayrshire are having to stretch what they have further than it will go, and accessing help still carries a stigma.
“Centre Circle changes where that conversation happens. The Scottish Government backing this tells us football is trusted to sit at the heart of tackling child poverty, and we intend to prove that trust is well placed.”
Centre Circle is funded through the Whole Family Support Third Sector Delivery Fund. As part of its latest Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, the Scottish Government announced that lead partner Big Hearts was one of just 10 organisations selected for support through the £20 million fund.
Craig Wilson, CEO of Big Hearts Community Trust, said:
“Centre Circle is a new approach to deliver whole-family support across local communities in Scotland through the driving force of the beautiful game.
“The £850,000 funding announced by the Scottish Government, with only 10 organisations supported for 2026/27, is a testament to the incredible work that has been delivered so far by Big Hearts and our key partners: Falkirk Football Community Foundation, Aberdeen FC Community Trust, Morton in the Community and The Killie Community.
“Football charities play a vital role in engaging with isolated and hard-to-reach families. Together, we believe Centre Circle can create transformative change, with more resilient, connected and supported families.”