The award from the SFP’s Community Initiative scheme will be utilised by Aberdeen Football Club’s partner charity, Aberdeen FC Community Trust to deliver 3 Equity Football Participation Centres, with a focus on children, young people and adults from ethnic and/or religious minorities, primarily in areas of social deprivation in and around Aberdeen. This exciting and innovative scheme will see the centres operating for 2 hours once a week, 36 weeks of the year. Registration for the centres will be completed through public partnerships, open to all in the local catchment area to allow a natural integration of diverse communities. The club’s aim is to link these centres to grassroots clubs where the club will become truly representative of their local community through the active engagement in the participation centres, providing a pathway for children, coaches and volunteers who wish to progress within the game. Going forward, these grassroots clubs will be encouraged to take an active role in the running of the centres once they have been established for a period of time and the existing centre will then be tied up to a club as a form of expansion. The centres will additionally be used as a base for the upskilling of all involved by creating an environment of inclusive learning in which volunteers/coaches feel comfortable developing in. Two coaches will attend sessions, along with volunteers, and they will deliver content primarily based on the Aberdeen FC Community Trust football centre coaching curriculum. Ally Prockter, Chief Executive Officer of Aberdeen FC Community Trust said “This project will provide the opportunity for over 130 children, young people and adults to take part in football, many of whom are from an ethnic or religious minority background, allowing them to gain a greater sense of belonging to their local community and to achieve a higher level of confidence. The lasting benefit to AFCCT will be the important relationships that are formed and strengthened with these groups through the establishment of our Equity Football Participation Centres.”