Local Renfrewshire youth football team appeals for new players

The club’s under-15 and under-13 teams are said to be struggling for players, and they are now looking for three or four boys to boost their squad numbers. 

Craig Watters, under-15s coach, said: "If I don’t have enough players we need to collapse the team which is horrible because then you’ve got 14 boys without a football team anymore.

“When kids get to this age, less and less of them are playing football. Our team size is down to 14 which is really not enough to field 11 players.”

Craig’s team play in division two of the Paisley Johnstone and District Youth Football where the standard is “intermediate to high”.

Finishing mid-table last season led to three of their players being poached by division one teams, causing the need for extra numbers.

The team train twice a week on Monday and Wednesday and also receives professional training sessions twice a month from local coaches at PSA ProScore Academy. 

“The kids really enjoy it, they are properly invested in our players, it’s really nice. It allows us as coaches to become better as well,” said Craig. 

“They assist us with how to coach and help us prepare our drill sessions. It's quite a good set-up we’ve got in terms of the football development,” he added.

The club has teams of all ages as well as “one of the largest girls’ sections in the area if not Scotland,” said Craig.  

He insists that kids get a lot from their time at the club: “Our philosophy is to give these youngsters football and social skills, develop their confidence and show them what it means to be part of a team.

“When you play for a football team, you’re not just playing for yourself you’re doing it for your teammates. 

“We try to instil in them that if you work hard, you get rewards and that’s not just football, you can take that into anything in life.”  

Craig has urged anyone interested in joining his team or the club more generally to get in contact with him on his phone number, 07960082708.