A Fife woman has challenged herself to a ‘Big Dribble’ to help some of society’s most disadvantaged people.
Jenn Stewart, from Pitscottie, will dribble a specially-designed tartan football for 13 miles between Dundee and St Andrews.
The 42-year-old is one of 65 people taking part in the inaugural Street Soccer Scotland relay, which will see a series of participants dribble the ball for a total of 230 miles.
Starting at Pittodrie Stadium in Aberdeen, the route takes in much of the east coast of Scotland and the central belt before finishing at Hampdem Park in Glasgow.
Jenn and the others will be walking day and night, starting at 6am on Friday.
They hope to finish at 11.30am on Sunday.
All money raised will go to Street Soccer Scotland, a charity that helps people from a variety of socially-distanced backgrounds through football-themed training.
Dundee’s Lynch Centre to be transformed into hub for Street Soccer Scotland https://t.co/C3TEU5Ctyu pic.twitter.com/U8TI1fQKzY
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Jenn, who works for Johnston Carmichael in Dundee, said: “I have participated in the Kiltwalk for the past few years as Johnston Carmichael are a gold sponsor of the event.
“And more recently, we have worked with Street Soccer Scotland in Dundee.
“They are a great charity who carry out some really brilliant work, so I am really happy to be supporting them with this.
“I’m doing the Dundee to St Andrews leg of the journey, which will be a challenge, but I am looking forward to it.
“Coming from the Borders originally, I am a bit of a rugby girl so I think I’ve given some friends a good laugh at the thought of me dribbling a football.”
Good chance to unite the country
David Duke, founder and CEO of Street Soccer Scotland, hopes the Big Dribble will raise awareness of the charity’s work.
He also believes it’s a good chance to unite the country through football following a difficult lockdown period.
“We’re excited to launch our first participation event involving some amazing people from across Scotland,” he said.
“We’ve been looking at hosting a country-wide event for a while now but with Covid putting those plans on hold, we’re delighted that we’ve found a solution.
“The Big Dribble unites people in a nationwide challenge while they safely take part in their own local areas.”
David added: “Dribbling the football from Aberdeen all the way to Glasgow through the day and night is no easy feat, so we’re extremely thankful to Jenn and the others for rising to the challenge.”
There’s also a ‘Wee Dribble’ for families
As well as the Big Dribble, Street Soccer Scotland has launched “The Wee Dribble’ so families can take part.
The charity has 50 special tartan footballs to give away to families who sign up to the event.
And anyone who raises more than £100 will also receive an exclusive tartan T-shirt.
“We’re overwhelmed at how quickly our Big Dribble spaces filled up, so much so we’ve launched our Wee Dribble fundraiser to allow anyone and everyone across Scotland to still take part safely in their local areas,” David said.
“The Wee Dribble allows children, parents and guardians to put their own spin on the challenge.
“Whether it’s doing laps in their back garden or keep-ups at their local park, we’re hoping as many families as possible will join in the fun to help support those less fortunate.”
The event will be part of this year’s virtual Kiltwalk and the total funds raised will be topped up by 50% by the Hunter Foundation.