Saints Kidz get the ball rolling
Trust unveils project to nurture football talent
St Johnstone manager Tommy Wright watches the drills Chris Millar puts youngsters through their paces St Johnstone Community Trust has unveiled a comprehensive community football programme designed to nurture the next generation of local footballing talent.
The ‘Saints Kidz’ project offers regular football for boys and girls aged from three to 16 years and is suitable for players of any standard, with sessions taking place on the artificial surface at McDiarmid Park and at other community venues throughout Perth and Kinross.
And, for the first time, children aged from three to five years can join in the fun with ‘Saints Mini Kidz’ – which takes place as part of the regular Saturday programme at McDiarmid and provides the opportunity to learn about movement, balance and coordination, in addition to early football skills.
Atholl Henderson, St Johnstone Community Trust chief executive, said he was delighted to launch the new programme in what is the trust’s first full year.
Speaking after a special launch event on Friday – attended by Saints boss Tommy Wright and some of the first team squad – he added: “Since St Johnstone decided to convert the community department into a community trust with charitable status, we have been working hard to establish ourselves as a standalone organisation.
“Saints Kidz is our new community football programme and I am especially looking forward to seeing our new group of pre-school, three to five-year-olds,coming along and having great fun at Saints Mini Kidz.
“Who knows, there might be a new Stevie May or David Wotherspoon among them!”
All coaches are SFA qualified and follow specifically-designed programmes to ensure that young players develop in a safe, relaxed and comfortable environment.
‘Saints Kidz’ and ‘Saints Mini Kidz’ are part of a wider Saints in the Community programme, which comprises regular sessions that do not need to be booked in advance as children are encouraged to turn up and play on the day. These are complemented by a range of courses that must be booked and paid for in advance. Full details at www. saintsinthecommunity.co.uk.