Robbie Forsyth, Youth Football Scotland, Edinburgh (Level 1 and Level 2 Awardee)
Robbie is 24 years old and lives in Edinburgh and has written this case study in his own words.
Myself and my colleague, Brian McNally, had been involved in youth football for a number of years in a number of different capacities. We felt there was a gaping hole for something to be put together that integrates the entire community and helps enhance the experience of everyone involved within the game, in addition to encouraging others to become involved. With the way technology is advancing, particularly the internet, we felt the time was here and now.
Key Facts
- Founded in November 2010.
- 500 registered clubs.
- 40 active volunteers.
- 10,000+ weekly users.
- Coverage right across Scotland.
- 4 full time office workers.
Awards
- Level 1 award of £2,500 in September 2010 - completed
- Level 2 award of £20,000 in September 2011 - active
Journey High Points
- Launching successfully.
- Gaining recognition and praise from all governing bodies.
- Winning awards from Firstport, SIE, Talktalk and Lloyds Enterprise.
- Hitting our usage targets – meaning we are providing a service for tens of thousands of people every week.
Journey Low Points
- Initial difficulties with finding funding.
- Lack of response from sponsors in our infancy.
The Difference Made
It has done what it has set out to do. Improve the confidence levels of young players throughout Scotland, encourage more people to take up the sport and also use football as a vehicle to improve education and IT literacy.
Vital Firstport Ingredients
The Firstport Level 2 award was pivotal in order to allow us to relax and develop our project into what we had intended it to be and do, as opposed to thinking about making a lot of money when we weren’t quite at that stage.
Future Prospects
Since launching in Nov 10 it has been a dream come true for our team to work with a community and game we care about as a profession. Being able to travel around Scotland making a different is inspirational and now we have had a taste of it, we are more determined than ever to make it a sustainable organisation and continue moving in the direction we have been