Glasgow Students for Choice have been on the receiving end of backlash from the football team Partick Thistle over offering free tickets to one of their games. On 30 September, Glasgow Students for Choice (GSC) posted an announcement on Instagram stating that they will be selling £4 charity tickets to an upcoming football game between Partick Thistle Football Club and Falkirk Football Club.
The event is in the society’s Linktree, as of the writing of this article, titled “Buy your football tickets here!” The event explains that “due to a very kind donation from the club, each of these tickets costs just £4…All proceeds from these tickets will go towards the amazing [Abortion Support Network,] a pro-choice, feminist charity which helps people access abortion healthcare across Europe.”
The post was brought to the attention of the football club “within the hour,” Hillhead Review understands. As a result, the club “requested [the post] to be removed.” Subsequently, the post was deleted from the GSC page, followed by a statement explaining that this was “due to unforeseen procedural and technical issues.”
The tickets were initially handed to various student groups for free by a board member of the football club in an effort to increase student engagement at the club’s football matches. Partick Thistle conducted a similar campaign recently, where around 400 students attended a match against Dunfermline.
“Unfortunately this particular group took it upon themselves to advertise these [tickets] for sale, which went against written instructions from the club and wasn’t endorsed by the club,” a Partick Thistle Football Club spokesperson explained to The Glasgow Guardian.
“Every other strand of engagement the club has had with groups at UofG, other universities and colleges has been very positive and work to build on that continues.”
“The club has always maintained a commitment to political neutrality in contrast to the other football clubs in Glasgow,” one Partick Thistle fan said who was taken by surprise when they saw the initial GSC post. “I imagine Partick Thistle as a club is more concerned about them selling free tickets as opposed to being outstandingly pro-life.”
The match will take place on Saturday 12th October.
Hillhead Review has contacted Glasgow Students for Choice for comment.
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