Everton’s Steven Naismith has offered to help the club’s unemployed supporters get their football fix.
For a second successive season, Naismith has teamed up with the city’s Jobcentre Plus centres by providing Everton tickets to out-of-work supporters who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend games at Goodison.
“I come from a working class background and I have witnessed the hardships that unemployment can bring to individuals, families and communities. I feel an obligation, a duty to help where I can,” Naismith explained.
“I feel blessed for the opportunities and lifestyle my job as a footballer has afforded my family and me. The sport has also put me in the position where I can help the community in some small way. It is my duty to utilise that position for the greater good of the community,” he continued.
With many modern-day Premier League footballers paid handsomely for their abilities, it’s refreshing to see that Naismith still seems very much in touch with the fans.
This, and the recent story of Alexis Sanchez helping out his home town remind us that footballers maybe aren’t as out-of-touch with reality as some might assume.
