AYRSHIRE College students are the first group in the west of Scotland to receive a brand new specialist coaching course delivered by the Scottish Football Association (SFA).
Sport and fitness students at the college have started the SFA’s Early Years course which, upon completion, enables coaches to deliver a session that allows the young participants to express themselves creatively.
Early Years focuses on themed activities to allow the children to have fun. These activities will also look to develop the children’s listening skills and attention span, as well as improving their motor skills.
Students at Ayrshire College are receiving the training over a two-week period. On the first day, the group were shown the theory behind the course by the former Kilmarnock footballer, Garry Hay, who is now a player and coach development officer at the SFA.
Afterwards, they were given a glimpse into how a session would be delivered. The SFA’s Craig Hamilton (football development officer) engaged the students in a number of activities and demonstrated how they are able to spontaneously change through the child’s imagination.
Garry Hay said: “The SFA spoke for a while about whether there is something else we could be doing to prepare coaches and kids to be ready for our existing Early Touches course, which is more football-specific.
“So the Early Years course is about the fundamentals and setting up a good base for these young kids to have good athletic literacy, co-ordination and balance, which hopefully sets them up for the rest of their lives with regards to having a sporting life.”
Alan Johnston, lecturer at Ayrshire College, added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to learn new fun and engaging ways to introduce football to young children whilst developing their basic motor skills.
“The course also continues the development of the great partnership we have with the Scottish FA.”
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Ayrshire College contact details…
Contact: Martin Currie
Phone: 01563523501
Email: martin.currie@ayrshire.ac.uk
Website: http://www.ayrshire.ac.uk/
