Ian Durrant was on hand today to announce that another 10,000 children have now participated in the SFA’s Tesco Bank Football Challenge, in the first 100 days of the second year of the project. Over 29,000 children have now been involved in the first 18 months of the programme. Durrant was speaking as children from 17 Glasgow primary schools had an amazing day of football and fun at a Tesco Bank Football Challenge Festival at Toryglen Regional Football Centre, in the shadow of Hampden Park. The Tesco Bank Football Challenge is a four-year community programme run in partnership with the SFA. The project introduces football to Primary 2 and Primary 3 children (six to eight years old) across Scotland to help get them engaged in a healthy and active lifestyle. Overall, more than 36,000 children across Scotland will have been involved in the Tesco Bank Football Challenge by June 2012. In the first year of the programme 479 schools across Scotland’s 32 local authorities participated in the programme, involving 19,061 boys and girls. There were 74 regional festivals and over 1000 teachers and volunteers went through the SFA’s in-service programme.
Durrant said: "I think the Tesco Bank Football Challenge is a fantastic programme, and I am delighted to be able to support it as we make this important announcement that another 10,000 children have been involved in the programme." Adele Mills, Community Investment Manager at Tesco Bank went on: "We are delighted our football programme gives children and teachers in the area the opportunity to get active and learn new skills. It is a testament to the demand for the programme that it has reached over 10,000 children in just three months. It’s fantastic to see the boys and girls across the country enjoying themselves, whilst getting fit at the same time."
Chair of Glasgow Life, Councillor George Redmond, commented: "We're delighted that Toryglen Regional Football Centre is the location for today's Tesco Bank Football Challenge Festival and such an important announcement. Glasgow Life and Glasgow Education Services have played a vital part in the delivery of this flagship Scottish FA participation programme and we are delighted to have done so."