Launch of Highland Midnight Community Football Initiative

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A community initiative has been launched in the Highlands to help young people to develop an interest in sport or leisure and help steer them away from involvement in drugs or alcohol or getting into trouble. Funding of £20,000 has been obtained through national and local anti-social behaviour funds to deliver a Midnight/Community Football Programme across the Highlands. Matched funding from The Highland Council’s Local Action Fund is also in place to deliver additional sessions.

The partners involved in the project are the NCH Scotland, Northern Constabulary, The Highland Council,  Gael Og Project and Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Department.

The launch was kicked off at Hilton, Inverness, by Provost Bob Wynd, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee, and will be held at other areas of Inverness and other Highland communities.

36 boys and 12 girls turned up for the event, which saw them play four-a-side football for more than three hours within a portable football pitch, complete with floodlights. Supervising were five NCH staff; two Inverness Caledonian Thistle youth coaches; and staff from Youth Inclusive (youth workers based in Hilton).

Provost Wynd said: “I am delighted to support this exciting project, which aims to reduce the levels of anti-social behaviour and group conflict within areas of Highland. By linking diversionary and educational activities together, this model will enable us to involve young people who have been involved in the project to pass on the message to other harder to reach young people.”
 
Community Midnight Football activities will be used to identify a core group of young people who are involved in group anti-social behaviour issues. These young people will be invited and supported to participate in residential weekends using the Badaguish Outdoor Activity Centre Lodges, near Aviemore, which are already part- funded by the Northern Constabulary and The Highland Council.

Chief Inspector John MacDonald, Tactical Support, Northern Constabulary, said: "It is by working closely with our partners like The Highland Council, NCH, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and the localised youth groups across the Highlands that projects like this can be used to tackle the underlying causes of youth disorder. The funding is as a result of many months of hard work by all involved and highlights the need for sustainable projects aimed at positive early interventions."
 
Grahame Cooper, co-ordinator of the NCH Scotland Positive Options programme in Highland which will be running the five-a-side events, said: "Helping young people to develop an interest in sport or leisure can give them something extra in their lives and help steer them away from involvement in drugs or alcohol or getting into trouble. This is an exciting new venture and we will be working with all the other partners to ensure it has a positive impact across Highland.”