MINI Messis and pint-sized Peles from across Inverclyde showed off their soccer skills as part of a three-day football camp aimed at breaking down barriers to playing the beautiful game.
Morton in the Community ran a successful ‘Pay What You Can’ football camp over the recent February school break which saw more than 90 youngsters take part.
The charity’s chief executive Brian McLaughlin told the Tele he was delighted with the success of the sessions.
(Image: George Munro) The camps were open to young footballers aged between two and 12 and took place at Notre Dame High School in Greenock.
There was no mandatory fee for attending the camps, with those who came along given the option of donating as much or as little as they liked.
(Image: George Munro) Brian said: “Ultimately, it's about breaking down barriers for participation because we know people have got less disposable income at the moment.
“Football camps or holiday programmes could be seen as a bit of a luxury for people.
(Image: George Munro) “We wanted to break down that barrier and get lots of people coming along.
“The reception was better than we hoped for. We had 91 unique participants per day, which is an average of about 60 or 75 a day, which is probably up a bit on what we see in general.
(Image: George Munro)
“The guys who run the sessions know the kids who come along usually and they were saying they saw kids at the sessions they’ve never seen before, which is good for us. It probably shows it works.
“It also shows there’s an appetite for coming along and by removing the cost barrier it means people might come along and participate.
(Image: George Munro) “At the ‘Pay What You Can’ camp there was a bucket for people to put money into but we actually saw lots of families not putting any money in, which is not a negative thing, that’s why it’s there.
“Some of these might be families who are struggling to put food on the table or pay their electricity and gas bills.”
Brian hopes that the project, which was delivered in partnership with Active Schools Inverclyde, will give Morton in the Community something to build on as they continue their work to improve access to sport locally.
(Image: George Munro) He added: “It was great to see people running about and enjoying football. That’s what it’s all about.
“Everything is expensive at the moment, not just football, and we understand the pressure people are under to continue to do the things they want to do.
“In Easter we’re already planning our traditional camps, but we also have some funding from the Scottish FA that will help us do some targeted works in certain areas.
“We’re always exploring how we can make football as accessible as we can.”
