Syngenta FC
By Sported | 24th November 2021
One of the biggest benefits of being a Sported member is joining a network of like-minded people all wanting to ensure young people reach their full potential. We want to recognise our groups who are doing great work in their local communities and give them the opportunity to inspire others with what they do. Our Scotland team spoke to Kevin from Syngenta Juveniles FC, who has been part of the Sported network since 2015, to hear more about their group and their future plans.
Syngenta Juveniles Football Club are based in Grangemouth, providing opportunities for those aged 2 upwards to take part in football activities from across the central belt. The main aim of the group is to encourage a sense of belonging to a community for young people, giving them meaningful opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity.
Football is at the heart of everything Syngenta FC do, using it as a tool to engage with a broad range of young people in their community and beyond. Alongside their age group football offering, they have recently supported the Zetland Park Regeneration Project. Encouraging the community to use their local green spaces, they provided free sessions for any young people in the area – reaching over 30 young people who were not members of the club that had the potential to be taking part in anti-social behaviour. They also have links with a local food bank, work with a local clothing bank to provide kit for young people going into emergency foster, and support a local hospice by fundraising for them annually.
During lockdowns, the club used football as a common denominator to keep young people connected by running Zoom quizzes and demonstrating drills young people could do in their own home:
“Thinking about mental health and the kid’s wellbeing, I think those zoom sessions were a bit of lifeline for the kids. A lot of them were pretty much on their own and only had their parents to talk to, so it was someone else for them to tell stuff which was good.”
In 2012, Syngenta FC established the first cerebral palsy specific football team in Scotland. Prior to this, young people would have to travel from Scotland to Manchester to take part in any regular football. The club now support a youth and adult pan disability offering, reaching over 60 people with disabilities. For Kevin, the increased level of disability inclusion is one of the club’s proudest achievements:
“Especially for the kids who have never felt that they’ve belonged to anything before, like a club or somewhere where their disbilities are embraced… they feel normal, they feel like part of something. They’re probably the group in the club that are the proudest to be part of it.”
As a volunteer-led organisation, Kevin and the club have found support from Sported to be key in helping them achieve their outcomes. Whether it be the monthly funding bulletin, being able to contact staff directly, and the volunteer support they received in developing a business plan, they have found a huge benefit for the club.
“All the things I’ve mentioned are where Sported have really come to our rescue I think. I can’t really put it any other way”
Having recently celebrated their 60th anniversary, the club is now looking forward to what comes next. Securing facilities for the club and creating a base for their community is a priority, and working with the local authority and their local community sports hub to develop a partnership that works for all.
Above all, Syngenta FC will continue to provide opportunities for young people in their community to be active, have fun, and belong to something bigger.
Want to find out more about Syngenta Juveniles FC and what they do? You can find them on both Facebook and Twitter.