JAGS fans are being offered free match tickets in what is thought to be the first scheme of its kind in the UK.

Partick Thistle is to start giving away complimentary tickets to supporters who care for relatives through a unique partnership with a major charity.

The club will be giving the Carers Trust Scotland an allocation of tickets for every premiership home game.

The charity will distribute these to their centres around Glasgow and work with agencies to get temporary cover to allow carers get away for a few hours to see a game.

Figures show there are at least 759,000 carers aged 16 and over in Scotland and 29,000 young carers, saving the economy around £10 million, a year.

Three out of five Scots will become carers at some stage in their lives and one in 10 is already fulfilling some sort of caring role.

Ian Maxwell, Partick Thistle managing director, said: “As a club we are very proud of our close connection to the community/

“Unpaid carers do absolutely invaluable work and, having met some who have already been to games this season, I know how much a day at the football can mean. I can’t begin to imagine how difficult it must be, particularly for young people, to have that amount of responsibility placed on their shoulders.

“Going to a match on a Saturday can be taken for granted by many of us. But for carers, it’s something of a luxury both financially and in terms of time away from responsibility.

“For young carers especially, doing something as normal as going to the football is something they can normally only dream of.”

Stuart Taylor, Carers Trust chairman, said: “It is absolutely fantastic to partner with Partick Thistle Football Club.

“Our charity is dedicated to offering a combination of practical, financial and respite support for carers across the UK but we have never, to my knowledge, had this kind of partnership in place.

“So many people go to a match on a Saturday and don’t even think about it but, the truth is, for a lot of the people we support on a regular basis that simply isn’t an option.”