School kids take part in Tesco Bank Football Festival!

Wednesday 26th April

Today, 280 local primary school children from across Perth & Kinross spent the afternoon getting fit and active, as the Tesco Bank Football Challenge visited McDiarmid Park for a fun filled festival, supported by St Johnstone FC’s Murray Davidson and Clive Smith.

The pupils from 6 primary schools are the latest to have taken part in six weeks of coaching sessions as part of the Scottish FA’s flagship participation programme. The sessions were provided by Saints in the Community coaches from The St. Johnstone Community Trust. The Trust was established in 2016 when the Directors of St. Johnstone FC took the decision to convert their long-established Community Department into a stand-alone organisation with charitable status.

Each term the Tesco Bank Football Challenge, which is now in its seventh year, uses the power of football to get 20,000 primary two and three (six to eight years old) children involved in a healthy lifestyle. More than 120,000 children across 2,200 primary schools in Scotland have now engaged with the country’s leading football participation programme. Teachers and volunteers also continue to enjoy the Scottish FA’s in-service programme with more than 7,500 now trained to support the growth of football as a path to a healthy lifestyle in schools.

Pauline Smith, Head Teacher at Kinross Primary School, said: “It has been brilliant to have the Tesco Bank Football Challenge coaches in the school over the past six weeks and today has been a memorable end to a fantastic programme. The children have had so much fun learning new skills, being active and their confidence has greatly improved.”

Atholl Henderson, Scottish FA Football Development Officer, St. Johnstone Community Trust said: “The children have spent the last few weeks having fun and learning new skills as part of our six week coaching course. We’re proud to be helping them become healthier, happier and more confident whilst promoting the importance of an active lifestyle. The Tesco Bank Football Challenge is a well-established part of our primary school programme, and continues to go from strength to strength in the Perth and Kinross area.”

Adele Mills, Senior Community Investment Manager at Tesco Bank added: “We’re very proud that over 120,000 children across almost every school in Scotland have benefitted from our UEFA Awarded programme. It’s not about being the best, it’s about having fun while developing social skills and getting active. We’re committed to creating a legacy in communities across the country and it’s fantastic to see so many children from Perth and Kinross enjoying themselves today.”

The primary schools attending the festival were: Kinross, St. Ninians, St. Stephens, Tulloch, Goodlyburn and Our Lady’s.