Our new 2022 Club Development initiative was launched in March this year thanks once again to funding from our long-standing partner, The Kilpatrick Fraser Charitable Trust. The SFP Trust is committed to supporting and promoting inclusive football participation at grassroots level throughout Scotland and this initiative aims to invest in the development and growth of 60 Scottish FA Quality Mark Clubs, with a focus on increasing and enhancing participation opportunities for players and the continued development of volunteers.
Culter Youth Girls F.C. who are a Bronze Level Quality Mark Club within the Scottish FA North Region are the latest organisation to benefit from the scheme. Club coach and wellbeing officer, David Craig said “We have come a long way since forming a few months before the dreaded Covid pandemic arrived and on returning we only had about 10 girls regularly attending. Our numbers have since grown very positively and we now have around 35 girls involved from our 2015’s up to our 2010 year groups. We now have girls playing in under 8’s 5 a side and under 10’s 7 a side. We are about to enter an under 12’s team in 7’s activity for the first time. It has been a steep learning curve for the girls but they have risen to every challenge. We are a very inclusive club with most of our girls having never played football before joining us and many having only recently arrived in Aberdeen from a range of overseas destinations. The girls mix very well and embrace the non-competitive and supportive development ethos we are continuing to promote. As we have recently agreed, our goal is to support as many girls as possible to play enjoy football for as long as they can. We are currently looking to expand with more volunteers/coaches to allow for younger players to join while we support the girls who have been with us for the last 2 years. The funding will support new equipment and coaching development as we expand our participation levels. Many thanks for the support provided by the Scottish Football Partnership Trust.”