It’s an organisation which has helped and supported generations of youngsters in Aberdeen for the last 100 years.
One footballing legend, Denis Law, displayed his entrepreneurial skills in raising funds to set up an age-group team when he was just 13, long before he hit the headlines with Manchester United and Scotland and gained the freedom of his native city.
And fellow international star, Dave Smith, who turned out at Pittodrie and later moved to Rangers, was almost as adept at table tennis as he was with a leather ball.
Everyone is welcome at Aberdeen Lads Club
Both these luminaries – and Liverpool legend Ron Yeats – thrived while they were members of Aberdeen Lads Club, which is celebrating its centenary by highlighting the myriad services it now offers the local community from its base in Dill Road; a venue which has recently received a much-needed refurbishment, allowing staff the opportunity to provide more resources, courses and succour for those at the grassroots.
Oh, and don’t worry about the “Lads” part of the title. Women and girls have been welcome at this group since 1949 and, in many cases, are trailblazing figures who even managed to transcend a pandemic with a steely insistence that the show must go on.
So, let’s take a trip to the place known by all those who frequent it as the “Ladzer”.
The early accounts of the club’s history are replete with references to Sunday services, the Boys Brigade and youngsters, aged from 14 through to 18, being involved in a plethora of pursuits which encouraged their “physical and moral development”.
One journal reported: “Billiards was very popular and many interesting matches were played. Draughts also proved an attraction and it was a common sight through the winter months to see between 20 and 30 lads involved.
A gateway to the world
“Other indoor games which were in demand by the junior members included halma, snakes and ladders, ludo, quoits, bagatelle and dominoes.”
There was also a tremendous passion for books, soaking up knowledge and “the library” was one of the most well-used amenities. “During the winter session, books were lent out every night and 281 members joined the Club Lending Library.”
All that materalised in myriad young people being furnished with a gateway to worlds they had never encountered before – and, in that regard, nothing has changed.
Denis Law was The King of Manchester United and The Apprentice of Aberdeen
One of the most obvious features of the organisation is how brilliantly it has been maintained and nurtured by those who started there as teenagers and never really left their environs. I met a trio of these redoubtable characters; club president, John Struthers, charity manager, Angie Johnston, and lead practitioner, Shelley Page.
I asked them how long they had been involved at the Ladzer, expecting to hear maybe five, 10 or a dozen years. Not a word of it. Angie has racked up 33 years – and counting. Shelley has 28. And John has a mere little matter of 50 years in different roles.
Volunteers are club’s bedrock
They also mentioned that four of their army of volunteers, who work behind the scenes with a heroic commitment to ensuring that the club survives and thrives, have amassed centuries of duty and remain as mustard-keen now as they were in the Swinging Sixties.
No wonder Angie said: “We couldn’t survive without these people and we are hugely grateful for what they do. It’s maybe a cliche, but we are one big family – and everybody is pulling together in the same direction now as much as ever.”
John talked about the early days in the club’s history, once they had gained the backing of the old council, and the precious support of the local Rotary club.
And, while there have been several different venues in the last century – first at the Gallowgate, then in Woodside (which was destroyed during the Second World War), at Mounthooly (uprooted by the construction of a motorway) and finally at Tillydrone, their basic values and resolve to boost the under-privileged have remained intact.
‘We support a lot of people’
He said: “It’s very, very important to give things to our community and we support a lot of people. Not just youngsters, but families as well, and the doors are open to anyone.
“We have very strong links with them and we have launched so many different initiatives in recent years. We offer help to those with additional support needs, run a range of adult education classes, training opportunities and, of course, there is nursery provision for those who have employment or are in further education.
“There is also sport. A lot of sport. But it is just one of many things in the mix.”
Shelley’s story encapsulates why this club is pivotal in a place with genuine poverty. There are no quick fixes, no easy answers, and particularly in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. But when you are as dedicated as her, these are challenges to be tackled.
She said: “Angie was my son’s nursery teacher, and when the mums used to volunteer once a week, I stuck up my hand and I would come and play with the kids.
Covid was ‘devastating’
“After that, they got me into the relief pool, then I did some volunteering for play schemes, and next I worked in the after-school club, then eventually became the supervisor of it. All the children in the area knew me and, during my time here, I’ve been supported to gain three SVQs, so it has been a pleasure to be involved.
“My son was at the nursery, then moved on to the after-school club and, from around the age of five, he has played for the football teams, all the way through the ranks.
“It opened doors for him and showed the importance of what this club is doing. They gave my son the chance to go skiing, enjoy trips away and other opportunities which he wouldn’t otherwise have had. And it has boosted him as time has passed.”
Angie is one of those robustly down-to-earth customers who reacts to adversity by thinking about everybody else but herself. And that mattered when Covid struck.
She told me: “It was devastating, it was heart-breaking, and we had to close our services, and say goodbye to our families when we knew that they were struggling. But we did whatever we could to maintain links and contact, we organised different activities and phoned them to check if there was anything we could do to help.
A lifeline service
“We arranged shopping deliveries for those who needed them, created an app, organised any news we had on Facebook, and ensured we stayed in touch. And, because we became a hub for key workers, we were able to open again in the summer [of 2020].
“And that is how we operate. We are here for everybody and we have 10 full-time staff and 26 part-time staff, so this is also an important workplace in Tillydrone.”
Ron Yeats was the Aberdeen colossus who transformed the culture at Anfield with Bill Shankly
It’s that and a lot more. When the club members did a survey of how local residents viewed the organisation, the word they heard more than any other was “vital”.
There’s a range of free or affordable childcare, proactive youth engagement and family support services, while the staff run two pre-school nurseries, an after-school club, junior and senior youth organisations and holiday clubs – as well as supporting the families of the children and young people who attend these groups.
That’s a big responsibility to shoulder. And yet, John, Angie and Shelley are intent on expanding their horizons beyond Tillydrone in the future.
Considering how they have managed so far, you wouldn’t bet against them.
Further information is available at: aberdeenladsclub.org.uk
Law’s tribute to club
Denis Law’s family have spoken about how much their dad enjoyed his early years playing football at Aberdeen Lads Club.
The former Scotland and Manchester United player, who remains the only Scot to win the prestigious Ballon d’Or is suffering from dementia, but his son, Gary, wished the club a happy 100th birthday on his behalf.
It’s a tremendous milestone
He said: “Dad always spoke fondly of his time with the Aberdeen Lads Club. Growing up, it gave him the opportunity to play football and help establish a team with other young people who loved the game in the city.
“And so, it is fantastic to see that Aberdeen Lads Club is still going so strong and has reached this tremendous centenary milestone.
“Congratulations to everyone involved.”
