HIBERNIAN will proudly bear the words “Thank You NHS” on the front of their new kits for next season in a touching tribute.
The Scottish Premiership club will show their support for frontline workers across the nation, who continue to keep us safe through the coronavirus crisis.
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A mock-up of how the new Hibs jersey will look
Hibs have also announced their first Easter Road league game will be “Thank You NHS Day”, with the club providing hundreds of free tickets for health workers throughout the season.
Fans wishing to show their support can pay £5 to print the message on their new home tops – with all profits being donated to the Edinburgh & Lothians Health Foundation.
The Premiership club hope to hand over a six-figure donation to the NHS charity by the end of the 2020-21 campaign and are planning further fundraisers.
Hibs chairman Ronald Gordon said: “In sport we celebrate our heroes and our stars.
“The NHS have shown they are our true heroes and our stars – they have valiantly cared for and nurtured us through the most difficult and challenging health crisis of our lives.
“Their efforts on behalf of all of us, which still continue today, have been magnificent and Hibernian wants to say thank you and celebrate them in the most meaningful way that we can.
“Additionally, we will be raising money and inviting NHS heroes to our games at Easter Road, and the club and our players will be working with our friends and colleagues at NHS Lothian to deliver a programme of health promotion and community service that will raise awareness and inform our entire community.
“I’m very proud, because this initiative speaks to the character and purpose of Hibernian Football Club.”
WONDERFUL IDEA
Scotland’s Minister for Public Health, Sport and Wellbeing, Joe FitzPatrick, said: “As well as joining Hibs in thanking the NHS staff, I applaud the club for this wonderful idea – it highlights the positive impact football can have on a range of issues.”
Tim Davison, Chief Executive of NHS Lothian, also welcomed the idea, saying: “This is a big-hearted move from Hibernian Football Club and I know that all our staff and patients will greatly appreciate the generosity and thoughtfulness of this wonderful gesture.”
Esther Robertson, Interim Chair of Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation, commented: “This is a lovely idea and will help us fund more initiatives to support the wellbeing of patients and staff during these challenging times.
“Initiatives like these make a big difference to patients and staff, particularly when the going gets tough.”
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Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster added: “Our front-of-shirt sponsorship is our most visible and valuable sponsorship opportunity and we thought this season of all seasons we needed to show our appreciation to the NHS.
“As Ron said, we want to say thanks and we want to help raise awareness and also raise funds for good health causes. We know our supporters will rally behind this in their thousands.
“For the avoidance of any doubt, this initiative does not cost the public purse one penny.
“It has been helped enormously by a small group of supporters who supported us in the idea and we are grateful to them all.”
Details on how to pre-order the new shirts will be revealed over the next few days, with strips set to be made available in July.
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