A YOKER football team gained an understanding of the stigma surrounding homelessness when they visited a Glasgow charity.

Players, coaches and some parents from Yoker Athletic 2006s met up at George Square earlier this month to gain an insight into the work of the Kindness Homeless Street Team.

The charity, which assists homeless and vulnerable people within the city, is sponsoring the team for the season, along with Mountains for the Mind.

Coach Brian Sinclair said the visit was an “eye-opener” for the young players.

He told the Post: “The deal was is that the team and some parents would go to George Square and gain an insight into the work the group does.

“The volunteers wanted to educate the boys on the misconceptions around homelessness.

“I’ve been quite fortunate growing up but a lot of people still think people are homeless because they don’t have a job and it’s their own fault, which isn’t the case at all.

“The visit was just to try and ground the boys and make them a bit more humble. It was also good for them to see the voluntary work that people do there too.

“At the time some of the boys got quite upset because there was a lot of families there with young kids that didn’t have much.

“We spoke to the boys at training afterwards and asked how they found the visit.

“A lot of them said it was an eye-opener and they took to it quite maturely. They understood that things can happen that are outwith your control.”

The squad are planning on returning to George Square in December to help out the street team.

Brian added: “We’re planning on going back the week before Christmas to do a bit more voluntary work with the team.

“Another good thing which came from the visit is that some of the boys are now trying to do some fundraising and trying to gather donations for the street team, such as old clothes they don’t wear anymore.

“We’re really big on mental health at Yoker and it’s something we try and bring up with the boys on a regular basis.

“We always make sure they know there are places they can go to and people they can speak to regardless of the situation they are in.”

In July, the team climbed Ben Lomond in a bid to tackle the stigma around mental health.