Letham club impresses Kenny Dalglish

Jan 29 2010 by Gordon Bannerman, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

LETHAM Community Sports Club impressed Kenny Dalglish and walked away with a top honour at the annual McDonald’s/Sunday Mail Grassroots Awards, held in partnership with the Scottish FA.

The go-ahead Fair City club was crowned as McDonald’s Grassroots Community Club at an awards ceremony held at Hampden Park. The star-studded event recognised the achievements of individuals and teams involved in supporting grassroots football.

The judging panel, including Scotland legend Dalglish, singled out Letham’s ethos to use football as a tool to improve the quality of life for the regeneration of the area, as a key factor in catching the judges’ eye.

Dalglish, McDonald’s head of Scottish Football, said: “Football in communities is built on the dedication of grassroots football clubs like Letham Community Sports Club.

“As a long-term supporter of coaching in Scottish communities, McDonald’s is proud to honour their achievement at the Oscars of grassroots football.”

Proud Kenny Drummond of Letham Community Sports Club, added: “Winning this award is a fantastic achievement, not only for the club but for football in our community. Football has always been a huge passion of mine and I get so much out of encouraging and supporting youngsters who want to get involved.”

The seventh McDonald’s/Sunday Mail Grassroots Awards covered a variety of categories including best primary school, best primary teacher, most supportive professional player, best volunteer coach, best supporting McDonald’s Restaurant and McDonald’s grassroots community club of the year.

The McDonald’s Football in the Community Programme aims to create 20,000 grassroots coaches across the UK by 2010. The scheme, which supports over 4,500 grassroots clubs in our communities, has created 697 new boys and girls teams in the last 12 months alone.