Aid charity gets premiership team on its side

A Scottish charity has pulled off a major coup – by signing up an English premiership football team as part of a sponsorship deal.

Mary’s Meals has brokered a deal with ­Southampton football club which will see the club’s players wear the charity’s name on their kit during match day training.

Katharina Liebherr, the club’s owner, revealed she had first read about Mary’s Meals – who feed more than a million children worldwide – in a newspaper.

The deal is extra lucrative for the charity because all money donated by the public between now and December 28 will be matched by the UK government.

It comes on top of a host of fundraising initiatives run by the club to raise money for the Argyle-based charity.

When you hear £12.20 can feed a child for an entire school year with Mary’s Meals – how can you not want to be a part of that?”

Charity founder Magnus ­Macfarlane-Barrow travelled south to seal the deal with Saints manager Ronald Koeman and captain Jose Fonte.

It formally sealed the ­agreement with Liebherr and chairman Ralph Kreuger. Magnus said: “This is fantastic news for Mary’s Meals and another step in introducing us to new supporters to help us feed more ­chronically hungry children.”

Southampton ran special fundraising initiatives around their fixture on Saturday against Aston Villa, with more planned over the festive period games against Spurs and Arsenal.

Kreuger said: “Not only can we support Mary’s Meals to help strengthen their financial ­situation, but more than that we can offer our time.

“When you hear £12.20 can feed a child for an entire school year with Mary’s Meals – how can you not want to be a part of that?”