The Spartans Community Football Academy

On Tuesday our community coaches Stewart Stout and Lynsey Cowan delivered seven coaching sessions to over 120 children at Pirniehall Primary School aged from the nursery school to primary 5. This provision was part of Pirniehall’s Health Week where the school was participating in a variety of events from rugby, hockey and ulitmate fitness.

Our ‘Bend it Like Beesley’ holiday programme returns for six weeks during the Summer Holidays, Monday 2nd to Friday 6th July through to the 6th August. Places are available on each of our courses for children aged 3-4 years (Little Dribblers), 5-8 years (Junior Soccer School) and 9-14 years old (Senior Soccer School).  The cost of the week is £25 for Little Dribblers and £37.50 for both our Junior and Senior Soccer Schools. Please contact the Academy on 0131-552-7854 or e-mail LynseyCowan@spartanscfa.com to sign your child up for our signature coaching programme.

The Academy was thrilled to host Hopscotch Children’s Charity conference today, to launch the recently publised research paper, prepared by Simon Jaquet Consultancy Services Ltd.  The Academy Hopscotch 2012 residential will take place in late June this year.

The Academy has agreed to host a 5 week placement (starts next week) for a learner on the Connected Learning and Employability ‘Jumpstart’ training programme.  Connected are an organisation that provide a broad range of skills and development opportunities, work-focused training and flexible employability support for unemployed and disadvantaged people in Edinburgh.

Construction works to build a new extension at the Academy start today.  The project is being managed and delivered by Maxi Construction Limited.  The target date for the opening of the new extension, which will enable the Academy to increase our provision both on and off the park, is early-mid August.

On Sunday Academy community programme manager Kenny Cameron delivered a presentation to >100 football coaches from all over Poland at a national conference event arranged by host club FC Koziolek Poznan.  Chairman of the Club Lukasz Bigus said afterwards “people enjoyed learning about the Spartans Way and the Club’s role in the community”.

The Academy has doubled it’s Street Fit-Baw out-reach provision by introducing a new Tuesday night session (our regular Friday night session continues as normal).  The new Tuesday session will take place between 7-9pm at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.

Social Investment Scotland launched it’s revamped website this this week, which now includes 10 case studies taken from all over the country.  The Academy has been chosen as one of the case studies, which can be found at http://www.socialinvestmentscotland.com/looking-for-investment/case-studies

This week Academy Chairman Craig Graham and Development Manager Douglas Samuel visited Leyton Orient Football Club to spend the day with Neil Taylor – Leyton Orient Community Sports Programme Chief Executive. Leyton Orient is recognised as being one of the leading community based clubs in the Football League.