Making a Difference

Achieving a Safer Community

Street Football Achieves Its Goal

Hanging out on the street with nothing to do is often seen as a recipe for youngsters indulging in anti social behaviour.

In October of last year the Moray Street Football Initiative was launched, giving boys (and indeed, girls) the opportunity to play football in any location on a portable pitch.  The pitch is about 15 metres by 10 metres in size and takes about one hour to set up.

The unit is self-contained with sideboards to outline the pitch and generator powered floodlights to facilitate day and night use.

Since its launch over 1500 young people have taken part in fifteen different locations throughout Moray, ranging from Elgin to Tomintoul.  On average 35 young people have participated in the twice-weekly sessions on Tuesday and Friday evenings.

Partnership working is the real driver behind the success of the initiative.  Grampian Police, Grampian Fire and Rescue Service, the Council's Community Learning and Development teams, Moray College and Grampian Housing Association have provided sponsorship, Area Forums have contributed funding and organisational support and the Northern Scot has provided lots of coverage and publicity.  There have always been lots of volunteers on hand to erect and dismantle the pitch as well as supervise the participants.

A Carnival of Street Football was held on the Plainstones in Elgin in the middle of July.  This attracted teams from all over Moray and was watched by hundreds of onlookers, greatly raising the profile of the initiative.

Funding has been obtained to continue the initiative for another year, which will allow the number of weekly sessions to be increased and get even more youngsters involved.

"It's better than playing in a hall inside as you get out in the fresh air"

"It's good how the games hardly ever stop because the ball is always kept in play."

"It's much more exciting than staying at home on the Playstation"

"I'd come even if it was pouring rain."