Tranent Colts F.C. from the SFA South East region were grateful to be awarded £500 from The SFP Trust’s Club Development Grant scheme. The initiative, funded by the SFP Trust in partnership with The Kilpatrick Fraser Charitable Trust and The Clydesdale Bank was developed to assist grassroots clubs in three specific areas – to increase participation by adding a new team to a club’s existing membership; to improve, enhance and sustain existing team activity through the purchase of new training equipment and/or funding First Aid training for coaches or thirdly to support Coach Education.
This fantastic club from East Lothian decided to utilise their grant to support coach education for newly recruited volunteers. Kevin Bathgate, Coach co-ordinator at Tranent Colts F.C. spoke of how the number of playing members continued to grow at a healthy rate and how this funding would help support the development of coaches and increase participation numbers / new teams across the club which already operates 14 teams at various age-groups for well over 310 players, both boys and girls. The photograph here shows four of the club’s 2013 coaches completing their Scottish FA Early Touches coaching courses with Sean McAuley and James McDonaugh from the Association who put the attendees through their paces. Kevin commented that the coaches thoroughly enjoyed the day and were now “buzzing with ideas to take back to the kids at their next training session.”