South Ayrshire Council, Ayr United Football Academy, Ayr United Football Club,  the Scottish Football Association and other interested parties are to work in partnership to provide a Football Development programme in South Ayrshire.

Members of the Council’s Commercial and Business Services Committee approved plans to deliver Football Development in this way, subject to an appropriate service delivery plan being provided.

In 2005 Ayr United Football Academy was formally constituted as a Company Limited by Guarantee and has since registered as a Scottish Charity.  Ayr United Community Initiative, Ayr College, Ayr United Football and Athletic Club Limited, South Ayrshire Community Health Partnership and South Ayrshire Council are all subscribers to the memorandum and Articles of Association.

The organisation aims to:

• Provide facilities for recreation and other leisure time activities to the public.
• Promote community participation in healthy recreation by providing facilities where football and other sports can be played.
• Promote and protect the wellbeing and physical health of people living in the vicinity of facilities operated by the company and assist in the relief of ill health and the provision of health education for these people.
• Improve public safety by promoting initiatives and programmes directed towards reducing antisocial behaviour by encouraging participation in sports.
• Help young people to develop their physical, mental and spiritual capacities.
• Promote training particularly in skills that will assist people to obtain paid employment.
• Promote, establish, operate and/or support other projects and initiatives of a charitable nature.

The Council and the Scottish Football Association will each contribute £10,000 to the project.  The remainder of the finance required to support the Football Development Programme will be raised through income generation and financial support from Ayr United Football Academy.

A Service Level Agreement will be developed in conjunction with the Council’s Legal Services Section to ensure that important elements of the Football Development Programme continue to be delivered namely:

• School’s McDonald’s Programme.
• Midnight Football Leagues (subject to continuing external finance).
• Easter and Summer Holiday Programmes.
• Term Time Football Development Classes in Activity Centres and the Citadel Leisure Centre.

March 2007