A summer tournament has kicked off in Aberdeen which is pitched to create football opportunities for thousands of people in the city and shire.
The Denis Law Legacy Trust Community Football Festival, being supported and hosted by Aberdeen Sports Village (ASV), runs until Wednesday, 27 July, and is set toattract more than 2000 competitors.
The goal of the annual event is to encourage people of all ages across the community to get involved and enjoy football and there are a range of events taking place at ASV across the summer targetting all abilities, from toddlers to over 60s.
The tournament kicked off with the adult ASV 7’s and the AFC kids festival, involving primary schools across the city and shire, is set to get underway in June. A number of other events are lined up including walking football, corporate 7’s sponsored by Nexen and the introduction of ladies football to the tournament. Cala Homes, already a key sponsor for the ASV’s indoor pitches and 50m pool, is also sponsoring the ladies football and kids festival to support the event.
ASV run and manage the tournament on behalf of the Denis Law Legacy Trust. CEO of Aberdeen Sports Village, Duncan Sinclair, said: “Getting people across our community involved in sport is a key focus for us and the football festival has the same goals so we are delighted to host it over the summer at our world-class facilities.
“We want to see people of all ages and abilities using our facilities and getting excited about sport, so we’re thrilled that thousands of visitors will be pitching up to enjoy the festival and be inspired to get fit and choose a healthy lifestyle.”
The annual tournament is in honour of iconic Scottish football legend Denis Law CBE who originated from Aberdeen and had a successful career as a striker for clubs including Manchester United and Manchester City.
The Denis Law Legacy Trust, which organises the festival along with partners ASV, Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust and Robert Gordon University, is a registered charity that needs £150,000 per year to host the annual event and support sports development in North-east communities throughout the year.
One of the key initiatives is Streetsport, which pitches up nightly in deprived areas to get youngsters off the streets and give them the opportunity to participate in organised sports. The Streetsport initiative is also being showcased during the football festival at ASV.
Graham Thom of the Denis Law Legacy Trust, said: “We believe that sport is essential to instil physical development, interpersonal skills and discipline in young people and what we do with both Streetsport and the annual football festival works towards this.
“The festival is a great opportunity for youngsters to have fun and discover theenjoyment of team sport but also learn about sportsmanship, education and respect.”
The Denis Law Legacy Trust Community Football Festival will run throughout the summeruntil Wednesday, July 27, with a family fun day planned on Sunday, July 10.