Football Festival Fun at Ashfield
In recent weeks, preparations have been taking place for a couple of important days. Over two days, on the 30th July and 5th August, the very first ng homes Grassroots Football Festival took place, in association with the Clyde FC Community Foundation. The event brought young football teams from various locations and allowed them to compete and have fun through the preparation and organisation of the Foundation.
The project aimed to bring young people together to find enjoyment in an active way. Robert Docherty, Sports and Education Partnerships Manager at ng homes, had a few words to say regarding the festivities: “Part of what we do is to develop sport within the North of Glasgow and that’s why we hosted the Football Festival in association with the Clyde FC Community Foundation who have managed, coordinated and supported such a key event for us.
“My role is to try to create partnerships and opportunities for young people in particular. ng homes and Clyde FC Community Foundation have spent time discussing ways in which we can work together and we’ve started with the festival where things have gone very well. We hope to continue the partnership with Clyde regarding projects and programmes in the future.”
Robert was very endearing towards those who had put the event into action. He continued: “I think it was absolutely fantastic. We really are thankful to the Clyde Community Foundation for the work they’ve put in to make this happen. Over two days, there have been somewhere in the region of 350 kids playing football. The behaviour has been brilliant as has the talent on show. So, overall it’s been wonderful and it’s something we hope to repeat in the future.”
The festival has many positive benefits for those involved. Robert explained what ng homes felt that the key attributes of the festival were: “For us, it’s about getting young people active and getting them involved with a sport which they can carry on enjoying as they grow up. It’s about making people aware of certain opportunities as well as keeping fit and staying healthy.”
Robert also noted that the event was just the beginning of what is planned concerning the festivals. “The plans are to consolidate what we’ve already started in and around Glasgow,” he said. “That includes festivals like the ones here, but it’s not just football. We’re looking at other sports that we can organise events around. We also want to further develop our links with Clyde FC Community Foundation and we’ll work tirelessly to make this a real success.”
Community Development Manager at Clyde FC Community Foundation, Tom Elliott said: “Over the two days, Ashfield was buzzing and we are delighted to be joining Robert and the ng homes team at this festival. l’m sure we’ll be back next year. The kids definitely enjoyed themselves and the weather was kind to us which always help.
“A big thank you to Sean Higgins, Clyde player and Community Coach who joined us at Ashfield at the Saturday festival. Additional thanks to all of the staff at Tiger’s Den over the two days.”