A north-east football club is heading straight for goal in the Press and Journal’s community minibus competition.
Groups across the north and north-east are vying for the chance to take the 17-seater bus home, and from Monday will be able to start collecting the competition tokens featured in the P&J.
Deveronvale Community Football Club, in Banff, is just one of the groups who are hoping to win the competition, which is being sponsored by Nexen.
Chairman Kevin Stewart has been involved with the club for nearly a decade and is proud of how the organisation has flourished. But he admits that the bus would be a great boost.
He said: “We are a not for profit organisation and provide football for all ages.
“Transport can sometimes be difficult, and a minibus would be an advantage for games on Sundays and training through the week.
“It also would help our players to be more flexible. We are based in Banff, but we have kids from all over, probably about a 30-mile radius.
“We don’t have any bus for the kids just now, so the parents take them, which has stopped kids from playing football, to be honest. Lots of parents can’t commit to a 10.30am start on a Saturday morning.”
The club, which can travel as far as Stonehaven for games, is also planning to expand and take on more youngsters.
Mr Stewart added: “There are potentially around 100 kids playing at 10.30 on a Sunday.
“We have under-13s to under-17s now, but we’re going to extend that out to under-6s.
“That means there are probably going to be about 400 kids on top of the 110 we have just now.
“It will definitely help add to the team spirit.”
Some of the other north-east groups that have applied include Future Choices in Aberdeen, 1st Sandhaven Brownies in Fraserburgh, and Elgin City FC Community Football Scheme.
