Coach Alfie, Man of the Moment
Thursday night marks the third week of our coaching sessions in the south side of Glasgow. Man of the Moment Alfred Archer has been leading the evening coaching sessions in Govanhill Park with some of the local aspiring footballers. The project focusses on bringing together young people from the different ethnic groups that make up the community of Govanhill. ‘Coach Alfie’ as he is known by the young people at the sessions has a difficult task as many of those taking part are from the Slovakian Roma community, Iraq and a number of other countries and do not have much English. Alf relies on the language of football to communicate effectively.
“It feels that it (the session) is just about to get out of control at times, but we do always get there…”
Presently, there are three projects running in the area. These involve partnership working with Govanhill Youth Project, Glasgow Community and Safety Services and other connected organisations to promote social integration, community cohesion and to attempt to improve life chances for those taking part. The Street Football project promotes an opportunity for integration work to take place between the diverse communities that live in the area. Through our relationship with Govanhill Youth Project we have also been able to provide assistance to a restorative justice programme ran by Community and Safety Services aimed towards providing pathways towards education and employment for a group of young adults aged 18-25.
Alf’s evening sessions last for two hours and he is supported by Sinead Gormalay who is also being put through her coaching courses by the Jags Trust and the club. Both have completed their grade three SFA badges and are progressing to Grade 4 as soon as a place becomes available.
The Govanhill Thistle project has already proved a success in the area and as many as twenty young persons are attending the weekly sessions. Although it initially targeted the Roma community, the project now deals with wider aspects of social integration: reducing barriers, improving understanding, promoting team work and cooperation whilst highlighting the benefits of sport in gaining good health and fitness.
Govanhill Thistle project manager Damian Dempsey said “Its been great to watch this grow from a single project into three distinct but complementary projects. This is something we (Partick Thistle) should have been doing ages ago.”
Last thursday there was the welcome addition of some young females who wished to take up the option of more formal coaching sessions. These young women have expressed some interest in forming the core of a women’s five a side football team. It is intended that the project will produce two five a side squads, with both the male and female teams competing in organised competitions under the name of Govanhill Thistle and playing in red and yellow strips.
Alfie’s sessions run every thursday from 6.30 to 8.30 and offer the local youths some structured coaching activities before finishing with a competative football match at the close of the session. Coach Alfie has been accompanied by Ami Small and Kieron Dempsey at all of the sessions. Ami and Kieron assist with recruiting and training when required. Ami who hopes to start her own coaching courses at the next available opportunity, is keen to continue to work on the Govanhill Project and to assist kick start another in the north of the city.
“This is a great project to work on. The kids are great - some of them have very little in the way of material things, but they just get on with things. Its great to be doing work like this in the community.” she said.
Glasgow Community and Safety Services provide a coach for some of the sessions and also bring two lorries filled with games consols and a computer suite to offer other activities for those who do not wish to take part in the football sessions. However, even with state of the art equipment on site, it was good to see that the football sessions were more of an attraction than games machines.
Jags Trust and Community Director Kieron Dempsey said “This is good to see. Yes, we are trying to encourage the young people into working together through football and to help remove barriers, but we also want to promote health and fitness through exercise and participation. I have to say Alf is doing an excellent job here, the kids are really enjoying it.”
There is also a ‘woman of the moment’ in Sinead Gormalay, who as well as assisting Alf on the thursday evening, is taking coaching sessions during the afternoon with the 18 - 25 year old group. Sinead is very keen to press forward with the project and to help get something similar started in the north of the city.
“I live near Firhill so it would be good to get a project going up there right on Thistle’s doorstep. This is something we should get going soon. You can see the way its working here - we have to do it.”
The afternoon project Sinead is working on will continue through to mid December before closing for the Christmas break. The Govanhill Thistle project will close at the same time, but will restart in mid to late January.
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