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Coach Education

Player pathways

Soccer centres run during the school term time throughout South Lanarkshire. There are over twenty centres and are open to boys and girls from P1 to P7. A special session for goalkeepers also features as part of the soccer centre programme.
Super Soccer is a soccer centre based at the indoor training area at Hamilton Palace Sports Grounds. This takes place on Saturday mornings. It is slightly different from the other soccer centres in that it provides the children with different work stations incorporating: fast feet, game shooting frames and hoops and dribbling manoeuvres.
Holiday courses, known as ‘football camps,’ take place during school holidays to ensure that football never stops in South Lanarkshire!
Regional and development squads provide a pathway for talented players to aim towards representation at regional level. At present South Lanarkshire has a boys U’13 development squad and girls squads at U’15 and U’17.

Schools programmes

In partnership with the SFA, South Lanarkshire Leisure has taken forward the McDonald’s programme for primary schools and the Bank of Scotland Soccer One Project for secondary schools. Both of these projects involve free coaching and games played in a festival format for the schools taking part. In addition, free places are available on Coach Education courses for the teachers or volunteers who lead the school teams. Over 32 schools have participated in these programmes this year.

Coach education

Courses are provided throughout the year in South Lanarkshire. Courses can also be organised for clubs wherever there is a need.

Link to Coaching Development page

Club development

In close partnership with the SFA, local clubs are supported in their progress towards achieving ‘Quality Mark’. South Lanarkshire Leisure’s commitment to this area is particularly evident in the ‘free use’ policy regarding parks and indoor facilities for U’16 clubs and groups.

Midnight Leagues and Street Football

Thanks to national sponsorship from Bank of Scotland and partnership working with staff from Youth Learning Services and the local police, these leagues have been put in place for 12 to 16 year olds. The midnight leagues are aimed at keeping boys and girls off the streets on Friday and Saturday nights, reducing youth crime levels and anti-social behaviour. Street Football has now also been introduced during each of the school holiday periods.

Disability football

There are opportunities in secondary schools for pupils with a disability, aged 12-18, to be involved in five-a-sides, seven-a-sides and 11-a-sides national tournaments.