Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
THEN AND NOW Diamonds in the desert
Airdrie fans’ incredible trip to Mongolia
As away trips go, it remains the most memorable for an intrepid group of Airdrieonians fans.
Two years ago, an 11-strong squad from the Supporters’ Trust swapped their travels to Balmoor and Glebe Park for Ulaanbaatar and the Gobi desert.
Heading 4000 miles to Mongolia, their incredible 10day trip saw them take on the country’s champions at the national stadium, trek in the desert and meet the deputy Prime Minister – as well as handing over football kits and medical equipment and building four new homes.
The Advertiser of October 2015 told of the Diamonds fans’ “amazing experience” on their return from an international adventure which started back home at New Broomfield, collecting football strips which found their way to the players of AK Bayangol.
Recalling the trip this week, Trust chair Willie Marshall said: “It was excellent, with lots of great memories, and we’re all the better for having been there.
“We’d been working with Kit Aid to collect old football tops – kids in Airdrie handing one in receive a free season ticket – and some had ended up with a team in Mongolia; we got a photo back showing that they all had Airdrie tops on.
“Through them, we were invited to put together a team to go out there, play games and meet people; we thought it was a great opportunity and it captured our imaginations straight away.
“It wasn’t just a football trip as we wanted to put in a charity angle, and we raised a few thousand pounds with football nights, race nights, sponsorship, donations from companies and filling football cards.
“Everyone self-funded flights and accommodation; in the desert we were sleeping in homes called gers. The Airdrie public really helped with the charity fundraising as I think it captured everyone’s imagination.”
Joining Willie on the epic adventure were Jamie Anderson, Ian Bear, Kenny Boyle, Ian Gibb, Jamie Leishman, Hugh McManus, Derek McMillan, Robert Strain, John Swan and Dougy Allsop, who is now the club’s commercial manager.
They flew out having raised a grand total of £ 7000, which funded four new gers for homeless families in the Gobi desert, medical supplies for Mandalgovi Hospital and kits for Khoromkhon FC’s youth teams.
Support for the fund to construct the gers included donations from both the stadium company and Airdrie superfan and charity fundraiser Mark Allison, who tragically passed away the following June.
Willie told the Advertiser two years ago that “the most emotional day” of the trip was when two families who had benefited from the new homes expressed their gratitude ahead of the visitors’ friendly match against a Mandalgovi select side, saying: “They’re for homeless people, and we have been told that they are literally life-saving due to the extreme temperatures.”
He recalled this week: “It wasn’t just a football trip, but was much more than that. The gers were donated to homeless families in the Gobi desert, and we raised money for children there and gave equipment to the hospital.
“People at home really got behind it and local companies were involved in making donations.”
The red carpet was rolled out for the Airdrie fans’ arrival in Mongolia, with Willie saying: “It was a beautiful sunny day, and we were met by the consul when we arrived; we were up on a hill over Ulaanbaatar and he cracked open a bottle of whisky to welcome us.
“Representatives from the Mongolian Football Federation met us, and the next day we played at the national stadium against Khoromkhon, the league champions.
“We then went on to the Gobi desert and the local authorities welcomed us with a civic reception, and we were taken to a drama school where the kids put on a show for us, played against a youth team on their new 3G pitch, and even local TV came along.
“Local families would take us in and cook for us when we were staying in the gers in the desert, and would even supply vodka! Everybody was so friendly and we were made very welcome by their hospitality through the whole visit.”
“It’s a huge country – we drove south towards the border with China, and then also went north, close to the Russian border and found snow there. There can be huge extremes of temperature.
“The capital is bustling like any city, but in a short time it can become very rural; even just five miles outside the roads sometimes aren’t there, and our gers in the desert were in the middle of nowhere.
“Mongolia’s scenery was outstanding; it’s a beautiful country and was a great experience.”
Willie has since made a return trip to Mongolia, travelling back there last year to assist with and participate in a 100-kilometre sponsored walk through the country.
He said: “The link has been a great experience for the club and supporters, and we’ve kept in touch with the Mongolian consul in Scotland; there are great ties between Airdrie and Mongolia now.
“We didn’t know when we started where the strips would end up, but when we saw the pictures of kids in Mongolia wearing Airdrie tops, it captured our imagination and we wanted to raise funds and get out there; and all 11 of us who went would love to go back.”
He added: “The Supporters’ Trust are now in our fourth year of collecting for Kit Aid and have taken in 15,000 items in that time which have gone to charity to be distributed around the world, to children who can’t afford clothing never mind football kits.
“The whole Airdrie community is on board – amateur and junior teams have handed in tracksuits, jackets and full kit bags to us.
“It’s to encourage youngsters to support their local team by participating and getting a free season ticket, and it helps others by benefiting children in the third world – so kids all round benefit and it’s a great thing to be doing.”
It wasn’t just a football trip. The gers were donated to homeless families in the Gobi desert