Blue Triangle supports, accommodates and assists vulnerable homeless people achieve better lives.

The idea for the event, which will take place on Friday August 19, 11am-4pm at the Toryglen Football Centre in Glasgow, comes from the charity’s plumbing contractor CPC Ltd.

Teams will be split into eight of the nine local authority areas the Association covers (North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire x 2 teams, East Ayrshire, East Lothian, South Ayrshire, Glasgow, Renfrewshire, West Dunbartonshire plus Blue Triangle’s head office) and Street League have been asked to facilitate the football side of things.

External partners and agencies taking part make up the 16 teams such as Quarriers, YPeople, Move On, Street Soccer Scotland and British Transport Police. Tesco have a team participating too and are supplying the food and water for the event.

Ten teams made up of Blue Triangle staff, service users and people from their community will also take part.

Each of the teams have a local business sponsoring the cost of their strips as well as some of their staff playing and each team have also raised a minimum of £100 fundraising to go to their own services users for items such as starter packs for new tenancies.

The main focus of the event will be to increase employability links for service users hopefully creating work experience, careers advice and ideally job opportunities.

Blue Triangle will be holding a mini employability fair on the day for service users to get the chance to speak to a cross section of employers, further education, volunteering and employability courses. Companies such as Tesco and Scottish Gas will be involved along with Glasgow Kelvin College to continue Blue Triangle’s partnership on their Community Achievement Awards.

Staff and service users also participated in a bag packing event at Maryhill Tesco to raise funds for more refreshments for the event.

The Blue Triangle teams have been taking part in training sessions led by Street League in the various locations they work in.

Newly named mascot Buddy (seen pictured with some of the West Dunbartonshire team) will be at the event.

Blue Triangle’s stationery supplier UKOS are sponsoring the Champions Cup, trophies and medals.

As the event gets closer, things are getting exciting and the Association is looking to make this an annual event which will hopefully grow each year.