Volunteer Awards 2006 / 07

This page has been added to record and honour awards presented to SYFA Volunteers for season 2006 / 07

CENTRAL

Regional Team of the Year   Wishaw Rovers 1995's
Nominated is a wee under 12's team who have not had a score under 0-9 and have never won a game and still these children turn out week after week even in winter undeterred. This for me reflects on the coaches and these children.

Volunteer of the Year   John Morton
Secretary of Cumbernauld and Kilsyth¸ John has been involved in youth football for 20 years.


























SYFA Merit Award   Dick Taylor of Carse Thistle BC
Dick has been involved in football for around 50-60 years doing everything a person can do from coaching, transporting kids to games, washing kit, fundraising and anything else you can think of.

Dick has been responsible for starting the careers of people such as Ally Dick, Duncan Ferguson and the present youth star of Scottish Football David Goodwillie of Dundee Utd.

Even today Dick is still involved with coaching kids and still enjoys football today as much as he ever has. Without him Scottish football may have missed out on first class names but more importantly many, many children would not have been able to find a team to play football. To me this is the kind of person this award is about.

EAST

Regional Team of the Year   East Fife Junior Supporters Club               
East Fife Juniors Supporters Club have a squad of approximately 18 children, boys and girls, all of whom get an equal chance to play 11 a side development football regardless of the score during any match. The 4 coaches involved with this age group are all very encouraging towards the kids again regardless of the score during or the final result of the match. Without teams like this in our league we would no structure to form leagues to give the youth the opportunity to be involved.

The team spirit captures what we promote to foster and develop. Equal opportunity is shown with the involvement of boys and girls. It is very pleasing to promote a club which views participation a success rather than medals and trophies. To quote the team message “equal opportunity to participate is given to boys and girls. Win lose or draw the team spirit outshines the result”.


































Volunteer of the Year   Dundee and District Youth FL
The award from our region is to a number of individuals who for the last forty years collectively have promoted the game at all age groups. Some of the individual involvement merits special mention with several officials being involved for a quite considerable period of the organisation life time. (Too many to mention although Jim Falconer says “do not mention my age”).

This in itself deserves respect and the association’s thanks for service throughout the years. They celebrate 40 years of promoting football struggling to retain football on some weekends through the berry picking season or perhaps during the potato harvest. This is replaced these days with October in Florida , Easter in Paris. How times have changed.

Our thanks go to the Association which is still going, becoming stronger as each season progresses. Good luck for the future.





























SYFA Merit Award   Bob Davidson          
Bob started with football around 1990 and has managed and coached many teams in Perth - Scone Thistle, Riverside, Perth City Boys Club to name but a few. He has taken age groups from 13s to 19s. When deciding to call it a day from the running of a team, he joined the Perth Association as the Treasurer. He also sits in the Rough Play and Disciplinary Committee.

NORTH

Regional Team of the Year   Albion Boys Club 17's
It would be easy to have awarded this award to Albion BC 14’s as they lifted every single trophy they could this year including the CIS Scottish Cup but historically the committee has always gone beyond solely success on the field of play. Competition winners have after all trophies to already show for their efforts.

When season 2006-07 started Albion BC 17’s were given little chance of lifting any honours despite the fact that the 16’s Albion team had the previous season lifted the Scottish Cup. There were very few of that squad left in the Albion camp with the majority of the squad being taken from the Albion Thistle team that finished mid table.

Undaunted by the observers rating of their chances the Albion squad set about maintaining their club’s proud record in the Scottish Cup. In possibly their toughest game of the competition they overcame Musselburgh Windsor in a penalty shoot out after a one all draw in the semi final. Co-incidentally the Albion and Musselburgh sides had met one another in the semi finals in the two previous seasons with Musselburgh triumphant at 15’s and Albion getting the edge last season. The winners of the semi finals had gone on to lift the Cup.

Immediately after this semi final victory down in Musselburgh Allan Archibald the Eastern Regional Secretary phoned his Northern counterpart Neil Paterson to compliment him on the exemplary behaviour of the team from his region and for the way that they had left the dressing room in a clean and tidy condition with all rubbish swept up and put in black bags. Unfortunately for Albion 17’s history did not repeat itself when they were cruelly denied glory in this year’s final against Townhead Amateurs with a penalty four minutes from time.

The Albion squad’s league challenge floundered when the fixture backlog, due to their Scottish Cup success, caught up with them. They were denied silverware in first the Noskab Trophy final going down 3-1 to Peterhead BC in the final then going under 5-4 in a penalty shoot out to Colony Colts in the final of the Dugout Trophy after a four all draw.

So Albion BC 17’s names will not appear on any silverware this season but the manner in which they competed against the odds epitomises the best that youth football is all about so it is for this reason that Albion BC 17’s are nominated for the Club of the Year

Volunteer of the Year   Graeme Anderson
Despite this season having joined the committee of the Stonehaven Junior Team Graeme has kept his position as Community Club Secretary for Stonehaven YFC, a position he has held for over fifteen years.

Being secretary does not mean that he is tied to a desk as he can be found early on match days lining the pitches for the Stonehaven Youth teams before undertaking his duties with the Juniors. He has over the years been instrumental in ensuring that the Stonehaven Junior pitch is available to stage finals for the Aberdeen and District Juvenile Years.

SYFA Merit Award   Graham Reid
Graham is now in his twenty fifth year with Stonehaven YFC and his enthusiasm for football shows no signs of diminishing. Currently Graham is managing and coaching the 19’s team but in his time he has had experience at every single age group that Mearns club has run. Graham has always been prepared to step in where a particular age group has had need of his assistance. Without his dedication and enthusiasm a lot of youngsters in Stonehaven and the surrounding area would not have been able to enjoy the game of football.





























SOUTH EAST

Regional Team of the Year   Tynecastle FC 15's
This season’s 15’s Scottish Cup winners also won the Eastern Region cup and the Federation of Hearts Supporters cup. They were pipped by one point on the last day of the season for the league. The players are also a credit to their club.

Volunteer of the Year   Chris Dale
A very difficult decision but for the time and effort put in over the season just finished Chris just shades it for the help he has given to all age groups at cup finals and the way in which he designed and printed the programme for the Eastern Region cup Finals. He also stepped in as the East Region delegate when Ian Richardson was ill and overall has done a tremendous job for the Region.




























SYFA Merit Award   George Park
Secretary of St Bernard's since 1991, Treasurer of both the East Region 21’s Association and the Eastern Region, George is one of the many unsung volunteers who works tirelessly for youth football in the East of Scotland



























SOUTH WEST

Regional Team of the Year   Ayr Boswell 13's
Ayr Boswell played in the League from age 9 through the various ages until they completed their Development football last season. This season at age 13 the team played 24 league matches as well as in domestic cups and remain unbeaten. This feat is one that few clubs will attain.



























Volunteer of the Year   Hugh McKay
Hugh is a married man and resides with his two sons in Maybole. Professionally, he is head of the Art Department at Kilwinning Academy.

As with most volunteers, Hugh (a keen footballer and golfer), found himself involved in youth football as a consequence of his sons joining the local club. Thirteen years later, with neither son playing, Hugh continues to take his team for coaching and matches. Throughout his years with Carrick Colts Hugh has proved on many occasions that he participates for the love of the game and to offer players who may not otherwise play the game the opportunity to be part of a club. Hugh has soldiered on over the years with little support from parents and has taken his current team from age 8 (soccer sevens) to age 17 as they now are. Hugh takes particular pleasure in organising challenging and varied coaching sessions.

In addition to coaching his own team (on occasions two teams), Hugh finds time to assist with the Club’s nursery programme (age 5 & 6) and also finds time to undertake the role of Club Chairman, a post he has held for almost a decade. He is highly regarded by all who know him. To Hugh, a man who sees some good in everyone, success on the park is seeing sixteen youngsters enjoying playing for their club and scoring a goal is a bonus. He richly deserves his nomination.

SYFA Merit Award   Ian Cashmore
For the dictionary definition of commitment, enthusiasm and positive mental attitude read Ian Cashmore.
When Ian was just 22 and training with his team Berwick Rangers an horrendous training ground accident left him with severe spinal injuries that resulted him being confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Having been dealt such a hand it would have been easy for Ian to give up on life never mind football, not a bit of it! With the help of his family and friends he has rebuilt his life and I think it would be fair to say does more for kids and youth football within the Kilwinning and surrounding areas than would seem possible.

Co-founder of Dirrans Football Club, founder committee member of Kilwinning Sports Club (KSC), past committee member of the North Ayrshire Soccer Association, Treasurer to KSC 7's Teams, Chairperson of the Ayrshire Youth Football Association and Manager and Coach of an age 16's team, are just some of the activities that take up Ian's time these days.

A "Weel Kent Face" around the town Ian has a knowledge of the game that would put some SPI., Managers to shame. Football is in his soul.

It is not uncommon to see Ian coaching his kids and for a number of the coaches from KSC to be watching and picking up tips. The kids in his charge have a respect for his ability and appear to hang on his every word. If he is not coaching, he's watching, if he's not watching he's fundraising, if he's not fundraising he's attending meetings, if he's not attending meetings he's watching his son Ian play with Stirling Albion or his daughter Lauren playing with Kilwinning Sports Club's Girls team.

Despite his obvious physical problems, Ian doesn't ask for nor seek any special attention, a motivational and inspirational figure committed to the development of kids and youth football and a nice guy as well.

If ever there was somebody deserving of recognition for his achievement, contribution and unswerving commitment to the community in which he lives then Cashy must be nearing the top of the pile.

WEST

Regional Team of the Year   Lenzie Youth Club 19's
For Club of the Year we would like to nominate Lenzie YC 19's. Lenzie has played well during the season winning the Scottish Cup, in the final of the Regional Cup and have challenged for other domestic honours, a feat which we are more than pleased to recognize

Volunteer of the Year   David Daniels
I can now advise that for Volunteer of the Year we would like to nominate Paisley & District Secretary, David Daniels. David has taken on a challenging role at Paisley & District at a time when it looked as if it may not have continued. He has worked well with the Region in building links and supported various programs such as development, regional and Scottish Cup. David has also worked well as part of the Regional Committee





























SYFA Merit Award   Nicky MacDonald
For a merit award we would look to recognize the work put in by Nicky MacDonald (Snr) of Clyde BC, who has for many years worked tirelessly with young players at training and games and no matter the result, win or lose, he is there again for them next week