Youngsters in a Highland village have been putting their best feet forward after summer camps proved to be a winning move.
Primary-aged children at Muir of Ord Rovers enjoy weekly free coaching during school term time and this was widened to a week-long run of football fun.
Chairperson Martin Godwin explained what that meant to everyone involved as the coaches, including Leonard Fraser, provided summer camps for the local kids after lockdown.
Summer camps were smash hits
Martin said this year, rather than take a break, the hard-working coaches put on the summer camps for only £10, which will have lasting benefits.
He explained: “Leonard and a few others within the village set free summer camps up a few years ago. Unlike other clubs, it has always been free.
“This year’s summer camp, which was over and above our usual activities, we just charged £10 for the week. We had more than 60 kids here and they all got medals at the end.
“The money we made from that means we are able to kit out next year’s P1s and it gives us that wee bit of sustainability.”
He thanked Beauly firm Logic Alarms for funding full kits and zipped training tops for all P1-P7s footballers, which he stressed made a real difference.
Girls’ football growing within the club too
Martin is also encouraged by the appetite for girls’ football in Muir of Ord and sees this as another area of growth at the club.
He added: “We’ve had a few girls come along and get involved and we have played a few games as well now. We’ve had a number of parents asking whether their girls could be signed up here for next year, which is great news.
“It is really taking off and there’s a real appetite for develop that side of the club. We’re not nearly there yet, but we want to give the girls the opportunity to play here and not have to mix them in with the boys.
“The games we played were against Dingwall and the girls really enjoyed it. We ran it as P4-P7s and that gave us eight girls who were able to go through and play. It was fantastic and we look forward to progressing that.”
The club also kicked off a walking football session for adults each Wednesday from 2pm-3pm and 7pm-8pm.
Ways to get in touch with the club
Rovers are keen to hear from coaches who feel they could help get involved with the primary-aged children and anyone who feels they could provide a valuable input should get in touch.
* For any information about any of the club’s activities, go on to the Muir of Ord Rovers Facebook page where you can also leave a message for a prompt reply.
