The purpose of The Scottish Football Partnership Trust’s Growing the Game Award, in partnership with The Clydesdale Bank, is to assist Scottish FA Quality Mark clubs add one new team to their playing membership. The funding provided assists with the start-up cost of a new team and is delivered in conjunction with the Regional Football Development staff. This ambitious project aims to create 60 new grassroots teams during the 2016/17 season.
Troon Thistle F.C. (South West)
Mixed age group 2009’s
30 new players created
6 coaches
Fun Fours format of the game
The club’s Secretary, George Grant was delighted to receive this award and as you can see from the above photograph, the young players look pretty pleased too! George provided some background to the club and advised that in late 2015, Troon Thistle YFC introduced taster sessions with a view to starting a football team for children born in 2009 and, following the initial promising signs from these, the new group was officially formed with the aim of participating in Fun Fours tournament play in March 2016.
In order to join the SYFA and participate in events, the group required to have officials with qualifications to the mandatory levels, to apply for membership of the SYFA and local league, to purchase training and medical equipment and a set of strips and to organise training facilities – all of which required to be funded, adding to the quite substantial start-up costs for the group, especially the parents, as the estimated costs excluding the lets exceeded £1000.
The Growing The Game Award from the SFP Trust enabled the group to fund courses for a coach [to level 1.2], a Protection Officer [on a Safeguarding course] and First Aiders [on Sports Injuries courses], all of which were mandatory for acceptance into the SYFA, whose fees and insurance were also covered, and without which funding the group would probably not have managed to get off the ground. The award was further used to obtain medical equipment, balls and a small amount of strips allowing fundraising to concentrate on the purchase of training equipment and a full set of strips.
The Award gave the parent group the confidence to push forward with the setting up of the group allowing time to gain funds for further necessary expenditure. The group now has over 30 kids attending training regularly and has entered 4 teams in the Fun Fours tournament and is flourishing! George added that “Troon Thistle YFC 2009 is extremely grateful to the SFP Trust and the Clydesdale Bank for this Growing the Game award, which has given the group the springboard to further progress”
