Dunfermline Athletic Football Club has become the latest organisation to sign the UK Armed Forces Covenant.
In doing so the club made a commitment to support the country’s servicemen and women wherever and however it can and to ensure no member of the Armed Forces should suffer any disadvantage as a result of their service.
The 26 October signing – by club chairman Ross McArthur – took place at the club’s ground, East End Park. The document was co-signed on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by Lt Col William Smallwood, the Commanding Officer of Fife-based 71 Engineer Regiment.
The club’s commitments to honouring the Covenant include a pledge to:
- Actively participate in Armed Forces Day at one game per season.
- Observe a minute’s silence at the home match closest to Remembrance Sunday.
- Offer a discount on season tickets to members of the Armed Forces community.
- Have a commemorative bench and slab installed outside the ground to honour Dunfermline-born David Hunter VC.
As well as signing the Covenant, Dunfermline FC received a Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Bronze Award from Lt Col Smallwood.
The ERS awards encourage employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same. The prestigious Bronze, Silver and Gold awards are for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the Armed Forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Covenant signing was organised by Highland Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association and attended – along with the signatories – by the organisation’s Regional Employer Engagement Director Ron Macgregor.
For more information on the Armed Forces Covenant and the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme contact Ron on 01382 631022 or email [email protected].
Ross McArthur and Lt Col Smallwood with the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Bronze Award and the Armed Forces Covenant.
The signing was followed by a tour of the stadium.
East End Park, home to Dunfermline Athletic FC.
