Hearts fans offered chance to play with stars at Tynecastle

RUNNING on to the pitch at Tynecastle to play a match in the famous Hearts strip is the stuff of dreams for Jambos young and old.

Now, Hearts supporters are being offered the chance to turn that dream into reality by bidding online for a place in a charity match at Tynecastle next month, alongside former Hearts players Steven Boyack and Alan Lawrence.

The match, which takes place on Sunday, 28 March, will see a "Hearts home" and "Hearts away" team battle it out on the pitch during a 90-minute match, with Boyack and Lawrence taking their places on the home and away sides respectively.

The event is organised by Edinburgh-based charity Football Aid which, since 2001, has allowed thousands of male football fans to play in charity football events at stadiums across the UK, including Old Trafford, Anfield, Ibrox and Celtic Park.

Bidding for positions on the Hearts home or Hearts away teams starts at 160, with funds raised divided between Football Aid's parent charity Field of Dreams – which aims to help towards finding a cure for diabetes – and a charity of the club's choice.

Simon Kershaw, football events assistant for Football Aid, said: "It's a kind of win-win situation, you get to do something that most people can only dream of – playing for the club that you support – and you also get to raise money for charity."

He added: "We will provide the players with a fully personalised club kit, which they get to keep, with their names and numbers on the back.

"The match will be officiated by trained referees and played to Fifa rules. Friends and family are invited along and they help make a good atmosphere.

"There will also be a post-match presentation with man of the match and moment of the match awards, which are decided by the legends who take part."

Managing the away side will be Hearts legend Alan McLaren, with former Jambos defender Jimmy Sandison in charge of the home team.

The first ever Football Aid match took place in 2001, with between 30 and 40 games taking place across the UK every year thereafter.

Other charity matches to take place this year will be held at Ibrox, Celtic Park, Stamford Bridge, Villa Park, St James' Park and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, among others.

Next month's match will be the first Football Aid game to take place this year and the tenth Football Aid game to be held at Tynecastle since 2001.

This season also marks the tenth anniversary of the Football Aid charity, which was set up in 2000.

By the end of the season, Football Aid will have raised more than 1.5 million for hundreds of charities and community projects in the UK.

To bid for a position in one of the teams, which can be for either 45 or 90 minutes, men aged 18 or over should visit www.footballaid.com, select either the home or away team and a position, and then place a bid.

The last available positions will close on Wednesday.