"Arbroath Football Club has shown a level of genuine care and concern that I would hope all sports clubs, not just football clubs, across Scotland would aspire to offer."
These are the words of Shona Robison, MSP, Minister for Sport and Commonwealth Games in her recent to letter John Christison, Chair of the Red Lichties in which she recognises the role played by the club in the Arbroath community.
This was prompted by a letter from Dave Ramsay, life-long fan of the Angus club, in which he related the treatment that he and his best friend Ed Littlejohn – who recently passed away after illness - had received at Gayfield.
Mr Ramsay said ‘My pal Ed was born and bred in the town and had been a dyed in the wool supporter from a wee laddie right up till his death at 81 last year.
"His favourite era at Gayfield was undoubtedly the 1970s with Albert Henderson as manager and the likes of Tom Cargill and Ian Matthews, who all became friends of his. He often reflected fondly on the promotion winning season in 1971-72, the 3-3 league cup draw with Celtic at Hampden Park the following year, and the first league victory over Rangers at Ibrox in the 73-74 season, which was a particularly cherished memory."
"And the Fergie hair drier treatment was mild in comparison to Ed’s reaction when we got anything other than a win at home! "
As Mr Littlejohn’s health worsened, he found it more difficult to attend Gayfield. Mr Ramsay reflected upon the support that they had both received from the club at that trying time. He said: "Towards the end of his life, the club made exceptional arrangements to make sure that Ed could still get to the games. For example, they allowed me to bring my car right into the stadium, so that Ed would only have a few stairs to climb to his favourite place in the stand.
"Everyone from the Chairman, John Christison, to the guys looking after the gates went out of their way to do what they could to help both Ed and I. We never needed to ask, and they never expected anything in return. And I know that they have gone to similar lengths for other supporters in their time of need. This, for me, demonstrates that there is a culture all the way through the club of helping fans where and whenever possible.
"What Arbroath FC did for Ed allowed him to retain one level of normality at an incredibly difficult time for him and his family. It also allowed my friendship with Ed to continue and grow right up till the end, and for that I will always be grateful to all at the club."
After Mr Littlejohn passed away in January last year, the flag at Gayfield flew at half-mast. There was also a minute’s silence before the match with Queen of the South and the programme contained an article in Mr Littlejohn’s memory.
Mr Ramsay has also written to David Longmuir, CE of the SFL, seeking recognition of the club’s actions. In his response, David said "I have a very close relationship with the club and am very aware of how highly they value their support. Therefore the courtesy and care that Mr Littlejohn has received at Gayfield comes as no surprise to me.
"That said, it is only right that we continue to recognise this, and I would have no hesitation in commending the club as one which has the needs of its community and its support right at the heart of all that it does.
"Even beyond match day, the club is putting an enormous amount back into the local area. For example, through the GOALS project it is helping young people and the long term unemployed build the skills and the confidence to help them get into employment. They have also recently launched the ‘Lively Lichties’ which offers fans a 10 weeks fitness programme free of charge."
The broader work that the club does to support health and wellbeing in the Arbroath community comes as no surprise to Mr Ramsay. He said ‘In many respects, Ed had a similar approach to helping the wider community as his beloved club. He was a social worker by profession and helped many families and individuals in the local area.
"In his spare time, he was also a huge supporter of the work of the Arbroath Town Mission, raising funds for initiatives such as the senior citizen lunch club. In fact, in his own indomitable style he asked that, rather than buy flowers for his funeral, mourners should instead donate the money to the Mission. For me, this as much as anything summed up the man."
Chair John Christison, speaking on behalf of the club said: "Arbroath Football Club has always prided itself on the relationship with our fans and we were delighted to help Ed sustain his long standing connection with the Club by providing personal care and attention when he arrived at the stadium.
"Fans are the life blood of a community club and it has always been the policy at Arbroath Football Club to not only serve and assist our fans whenever possible but also to cater for the special needs of supporters like Ed who require individual assistance to continue with their life-long support of the team.
"We will leave it to the Sports Minister to sum up this story about the life-long bond between a club, its support and the community it serves."
In her letter, Ms Robison said: "The care and humanity shown to Mr Littlejohn in his time of need by the team he supported all of his life is a shining example of the central positive role that football clubs play in our communities."
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