Kilmarnock players Kieran Agard, Rui Miguel and David Silva were spectators at Rugby Park for a change when they dropped in to cheer on local youngsters taking part in a Scottish FA and Kilmarnock FC Street Football session, in partnership with Robert Wiseman Dairies.
Scottish FA Street Football brings football into communities, giving more young people the chance to play more football more often. Young players also get the chance to sample free Wiseman Shock fresh flavoured milk.
Sessions are being held throughout the Easter holidays in the car park next to the Moffat Stand at Rugby Park, and in Street Sport cages throughout Ayrshire.
Kilmarnock striker Kieran Agard said: “It’s great to see young people getting the chance to play football. We’ve enjoyed meeting the kids and helping out today and hopefully being here at Rugby Park inspires them to keep playing.”
Paul McDonald, Scottish FA and Kilmarnock FC community Coach said: “The local Street Football sessions are a great opportunity for young people who may not get an opportunity to play regular football to come along and kick a ball about with their friends in a safe, supervised environment.
“We’ve had a great turn out at the Easter holiday sessions, and we’d like to thank all of our partners for helping us to provide this opportunity for local children.”
Sandy Wilkie, Wiseman sales and marketing director adds: “At Wiseman we recognise the importance of being part of the communities we serve and our support of the street football programme has helped us to put on 55 extra sessions this Easter and is a great way for us to be more involved.
"We hope these events encourage more young people to include milk in their diet, enjoy a healthier lifestyle and reach their potential in the game."
Anyone aged 10-18 can drop in and play for free at hundreds of Street Football sessions delivered by Scottish FA coaches around the country every week. As well as using local Street Sport cages, mobile pitches make the game even more accessible.
Street Football is run in partnership with local clubs and local authorities and is funded by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities programme, which invests the proceeds of crime back into communities. Robert Wiseman Dairies has invested additional funding in the programme, and provides Wiseman Shock fresh flavoured milk at Street Football sessions.
For more information on Street Football sessions in the local area, contact Paul McDonald on 01563 545309 or pmcdonald@kilmarnockfc.co.uk