Dukla Pumpherston

Dukla Pumpherston is a charity football team based in Scotland, and is captained by Scottish football pundit Chick Young.[1]

The name was based on the fictional team "Dukla Pumpherston Sawmill and Tannery" created by Tony Roper in 1980s comedy programme Naked Radio; the name is a comic juxtaposition of the sophisticated European-sounding name of Czech team Dukla Prague with that of tiny Scottish village Pumpherston. Roper himself has also played for the team.[1]

The players have been described as a motley crew of former professional players and television personalities who tour the country - indeed the world - enjoying themselves while raising cash for worthy causes. They have been described as "a drinking team with a football problem". The ad hoc roster (or that of similarly informal opposing charity teams) has, at various times, included football broadcaster Chic Charnley,[1] politician Tommy Sheridan,[1][2] boxer Willie Limond,[3] airport worker John Smeaton,[4] and footballers Ally McCoist,[1] Neil Lennon,[1] Jose Quitongo,[4] Frank McAvennie,[5] Gordon Smith,[1][6] Gerry McCabe,[7] Jim Duffy,[1] Billy Dodds,[8] Gerry Britton,[1] Jim Chapman,[9] Brian McPhee,[9][2] Davie Irons,[10] and Brian Martin.[9][2]

Dukla is not a regular member of the Scottish amateur league system; the team only plays occasional exhibition matches, generally in support of charity. Due to the informal nature of the games and the widely varying ages and footballing histories of the players (and those of their opponents) Dukla matches are usually friendly, light-hearted affairs. One exception was an October 2008 match against a team of MSPs and other politicians; the match was abandoned after three politicians were sent off and players from both sides squared up to each other.[11][12][13]

References
  1. "Celebrity charity match at Firhill" Archived 28 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Partick Thistle FC official website, 25 February 2009
  2. Craig Goldthorp (4 April 2019). "Tommy Sheridan among stars lined up to play football in Carluke this Sunday". Carluke Gazette. JPIMedia.
  3. "Stars set to shine for charity day in Wishaw", Hamilton Advertiser, 30 April 2008
  4. "Stars come out for Wishaw charity match", Hamilton Advertiser, 27 May 2008
  5. "Fans turn out in force to honour Johnstone Burgh", Paisley Daily Express, 11 June 2008
  6. "The Wembley miss that has become a myth", Phil Shaw, The Independent, 28 November 1996 (via findarticles.com)
  7. "Charity is the winner", Dumbarton FC website, 15 September 2008
  8. "Radio Clyde What's On" Archived 13 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Radio Clyde community calendar, 20 May 2006
  9. Leona Greenan (4 September 2015). "St Andrew's Hospice benefit from charity football match in Blantyre's Castle Park". Daily Record.
  10. Stuart Gillespie (19 September 2016). "Dukla Pumpherston charity match in Gatehouse of Fleet raises £600 for two injured players". Daily Record.
  11. "MSP match abandoned after clash", BBC News, 29 October 2008
  12. "Maradona could learn so much from our foul-minded MSPs", Brian Morton, The Guardian, 2 November 2008
  13. "Disgraceful, foul-mouthed thugs – that's our footballing MSPs, according to Chick Young", David Maddox, The Scotsman, 29 October 2008.
  • Amateur footage of Dukla Pumpherston in November 2006; the DP team includes Tommy Sheridan, Ally McCoist, and former footballer *Andy Walker.
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