Charity match to raise vital funds for Scottish Autism

Founded by Stephen Manson in 2019 to raise awareness of autism, Autism All Stars will take to the field in the indoor pitch at the Oriam, Scotland’s Sport Performance Centre at Heriot Watt University on Sunday (11am kick-off) with a selection of well-known Edinburgh footballers facing off against each other.

38-year-old Manson, who played for clubs including Raith Rovers and Linlithgow Rose during his career, started what he hoped would be an annual charity fixture with close friend Craig O’Reilly in 2019 after Manson’s son Oliver was diagnosed with autism.

The Covid-19 pandemic put paid to a yearly fixture, but the match has come back bigger and better this year with Manson teaming up with charity platform Play Fund Win to sell raffle tickets online with funds going directly to Scottish Autism. Prizes on offer include two hospitality tickets for a match at Old Trafford, match tickets for a Manchester City fixture at the Etihad Stadium and a luxury box of wines courtesy of Edinburgh business Bellissimo Vino.

“Every time before we’ve asked the players to donate for taking part and then we would just transfer the money off to Scottish Autism,” said Manson. “It’s been good for me because Play Fund Win manage it all and hold all the money then transfer it to Scottish Autism, so it means I can just concentrate on organising the day, getting teams organised etc.

“I’m getting lots of guys reaching out asking to play and players that are already involved are getting asked if there is any space. I actually had to buy six extra strips to bring extra boys in but even still I am knocking boys back. It’s nice that people are wanting to be involved and be a part of it. It’s a chance to get people together and raise awareness of autism.”

Manson continued: “Myself and my wife Amanda didn’t know much about autism. Oliver got his diagnosis, and being football orientated myself, I was sitting with big Craig O’Reilly and thought ‘how can I raise a bit of awareness about autism through football’, so we decided to organise the first match. The two of us sat down and went through our contacts that we know through football and it was kind of his team versus my team.

“I’ve got a few guys in the team that have got family members who have autism, so it’s great for them to get involved and feel like they are doing something towards the cause.

“There’s a lot of people offering their support with the running of the day which is brilliant. I couldn’t have done it without my wife Amanda, she puts up with a lot to be fair to her! I get that wrapped up in it I just want to make sure everything goes to plan.”

Entry to what promises to be a fantastic family day out is free. More information is available on the Autism All Stars FC Facebook page, while you can purchase raffle tickets via https://playfundwin.com/draw/autism-allstars-prize-draw