The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Trust joins Europe’s elite with new football health initiative
EU funding granted to help youngsters improve wellbeing
Montrose has enhanced its reputation among the greats of European football after joining a key health programme for young people.
In the latest stage of a scheme which has seen the name of the Gable Endies gather alongside some of the biggest sides in the game, Montrose Community Trust is to join the Scoring for Health initiative alongside the likes of Dutch outfit Feyenoord, German side Werden Bremen and the wider Portugese FA.
The Trust, in association with Montrose FC, will receive EU Erasmus+ funding for a scheme which will see it work with ten local schools and hundreds of youngsters aged seven to 14.
Greenock Morton is the only other Scottish side involved in the programme.
Despite the European game being on hold during the coronavirus outbreak, trust chief executive Peter Davidson was delighted with confirmation of their involvement in the scheme which came during a video conference this week.
Montrose Community Trust is part of the European Football for Development Network (EFDN) and has established itself around the table alongside elite sides including PSG, Inter Milan and PSV Eindhoven.
Mr Davisdson said Scoring for Health will be based around the appeal and inspiring context of sport, in particular football, to promote healthy eating, physical activity and wellbeing.
The EFDN consists of professional clubs from across Europe committed to using the power and appeal of football to inspire change.
Mr Davidson added: “As a charity, we engage with 1,000 people each and every week.
“A lot of people rely on us for some of the programmes that we run in our community. These cover mental health, struggles with alcohol, school-based education and many others.”