As our Change Centre in Dundee continues to grow, as does our range of programmes to support players of all ages in the city. After recently benefitting from Scottish Government funding, through What Matters to You and The Lens, we are delighted to develop our Friday night football programme at the Change Centre.
The programme which was developed by Change Centre staff, in conjunction with local families, will take place every single week on Friday’s between 5-9pm. By providing free access to sport in a safe environment, we are able to bring more young players in to our programmes through community partnerships, educational programmes and our strong links with care providers in the city.
Street Soccer received backing from the Scottish Government’s unique partnership with What Matters to You in May to develop our youth football programme, allowing us to access more financial support. This development will allow Change Centre staff the opportunity to empower more young people across Dundee, with both on the pitch and off the pitch activities available each week.
Over 50 players have attended every session so far, with plans in place to continue to develop sessions for the next 12 months. The weekly programme is broken down in to football-themed training, access to multi-sport activity on demand and a safe space for young people to socialise. This means that we can provide a programme that is shaped to the needs of young people and where families are welcomed and empowered.
We believe that by providing a consistent and inclusive programme that is youth-led, we can develop positive life-choices and highlight the power of community.
Included in our Friday night football will be free sessions with our partners at AR26, with players from 10-16 years old welcome at each session. These sessions are being complimented throughout the summer with free football camps every Wednesday in July. These camps are also available for players of the ages 6-9. You can find out more about these specifically online.
In addition, we are delighted to welcome Barnardo’s to the Change Centre throughout the summer, where they will be participating in weekly multi-sport and multi-activity sessions over the coming months. With Barnardo’s high quality support, we are looking forward to developing more opportunities for those with additional support needs. These multi-sport sessions will allow vulnerable children, young people and their families to access a safe space throughout the summer.
With the imminent addition of our sensory room, we are keen to develop further partnerships with family-inclusive organisations. In the coming months, more changes will be apparent throughout the building, with the enhancement of a new family room to ensure that every potential visitor has their needs met. To find out more about our new sensory room and family, click here.
We are a family and believe that everyone has the right to join our team. With the development to our youth football programme as well as increased support off the pitch for families, we are ensuring that nobody is left behind.
To find out more about using our facilities and their recent upgrades, please contact Scott Hollinshead on [email protected].
If you are interested in learning more about how to take part in our youth programmes, please get in touch with Kyle Fraser on [email protected]
We are also keen to talk to more community partners to support our range of programmes. If you would like to get involved, contact David MacKenzie on [email protected]
