Street Footballers Get Their Shot

Published 12 Aug 2010 12:30 0 Comments

Football mad youngsters from across East Ayrshire have been competing throughout the summer for the opportunity to train with their heroes at Kilmarnock Football Club thanks to a joint programme from East Ayrshire Council and Kilmarnock FC with funding from the Scottish Government’s ‘Cashback for Communities’ project.

Kilmarnock Football Club’s StreetSport Icon offered up 12 places for talented footballers to train alongside the Kilmarnock first team, eat lunch with the players and make a half time appearance at a Kilmarnock home game. The 12 young footballers also received full Kilmarnock FC training gear for the experience.

Crosshouse StreetSport Cage was the venue for StreetSport Icon in this, the second year, of the initiative. Over 100 young people competed over three age groups for the amazing prize. The nine winners of their respective age groups were joined by the most talented runner up, chosen by Kilmarnock legend and ex-captain Alan Mahood, and two goalkeepers chosen by Auchinleck Talbot Goalkeeper Adam Strain.

The programme was also supplemented with an excellent promotional initiative from ‘Wiseman Dairies’. Wiseman provided all young people competing in the registration days with flavoured milk which was extremely well received by all athletes.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Douglas Reid, who is himself a lifelong Kilmarnock fan, was especially impressed with the talent on show in the Under-19s age group. Having watched both of the competition’s semi-finals he said: “The young athletes in attendance have shown what a great deal of untapped potential exists within some of the smaller communities of East Ayrshire. This programme not only allows the athletes to display their skills, but is also aspirational in the sense that the young people now know the levels of dedication to the sport and fitness needed to fulfil their potential.”

Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing, Councillor Kathy Morrice added: “What has impressed me about this event is seeing so many young people from different communities coming together to compete for this excellent prize.”

The StreetSport Icon programme is an extension of the work East Ayrshire Council and Kilmarnock FC already achieve in the community. The partnership runs Street Football sessions, Premier Night Leagues, Mini Kickers & KFC Football Academy.

For further information please contact the Youth Sport Development Officer on 01563 576871 or log on to www.eac.eu/sport

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