SAINTS have teamed up with The Big Issue to offer employment opportunities to those battling poverty.

The club has formed a partnership with the magazine which offers vulnerable people a way to earn a living and get back on their feet.

Vendors of The Big Issue will develop employment skills as part of the initiative which launches on Monday.

A special Southampton FC edition of The Big Issue will be sold by vendors across the city from next week and will be distributed as the official match day programme at the club’s Premier League opener next Saturday.

The Big Issue is a nationwide charity offering those battling poverty the chance to earn a wage through magazine sales.

Vendors will also be provided with the opportunity to enrol in an eight-week employability programme, run by Saints Foundation, which will equip them with skills and offer work placements across the club.

Greg Baker, head of Saints Foundation and community partnerships at Saints, said: “Southampton is a club built around tradition and family, and this partnership is an exciting way to begin the new season and help drive further positive change among our community.

“We’re delighted to help provide adults in and around the area with opportunities and skills they need to take the first step towards a fruitful career.”

The special Southampton FC edition of The Big Issue will be sold across the city and surrounding areas including Ringwood, Lymington and Winchester, as well as Salisbury and the Isle of Wight.

Vendor Lee Barnes said: “When I first started to sell the magazine, I’d hide behind it, but The Big Issue brought myself out a bit more, developed me and gave me a bit of confidence.”

Editor of the magazine, Paul McNamee, said: “This is a tremendous project to be involved with. It shows that Southampton FC and Saints Foundation share our ideals of building new ways to allow the poorest in society to fight poverty and work their way out of it.

“It shows that football can cut through in ways that other avenues can’t and it gives me and the team an excuse to hand around football grounds – which is a very good thing.”

Big Issue managing director Russell Blackman added: “The joining forces of Saints Foundation and The Big Issue reflects our shared values and commitment to a more equal society, supporting those whose lives have been blighted by poverty and a lack of opportunity.”