Soccer Academy gets cash boost

STV Appeal donate £2000 to young football club

Blantyre Soccer Academy have received £2000 from the STV Children’s Appeal, boosting support for the Lanarkshire based community project.

STV’S product manager Will Jones met with some of the children and adults who will benefit from the funding and presented the cheque to the Academy last Friday.

Blantyre Soccer Academy hold football classes for children as young as four and adults up to the age of 45, including a disability section.

The award from the STV Children’s Appeal will allow the Academy to kickstart their latest group of four year-olds, who will be trained by qualified coaches, delivering a programme that ensures each player is challenged whilst keeping fit and more importantly having fun.

Jimmy Whelan, chairman of Blantyre Soccer Academy, said: “We are delighted with the news of our award.

“In the past we have raised money for the STV Children’s Appeal and we were thrilled to hear that we had been chosen as one of the local groups to receive this grant. This is a fantastic charity and it just goes to show the money raised by the people of Scotland is re-invested in local communities such as ours.”

Since launching in 2011, the STV Children’s Appeal has raised over £13.7 million, with 722 grants distributed to projects across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland, providing much-needed support to over 62,000 children.

The money is distributed to provide practical help like food and warm clothes; create opportunities for training and employability; and enable social and emotional support for those who need it most.

Rob Woodward, STV chief executive and trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone that has fundraised and donated to this year’s STV Children’s Appeal. All proceeds remain in Scotland, which means we can support vital projects such as Blantyre Soccer Academy in our efforts to improve the lives of children across the community.”

Sir Tom Hunter, trustee of the STV Children’s Appeal, added: “It’s projects like Blantyre Soccer Academy that can make the world of a difference to those young people most in need. “

If you’re an individual or group that would like to help raise funds for children and young people living in poverty in Scotland with the STV Children’s Appeal, please get in touch with Natalie Wright at natalie.wright@stv.tv