AN amazing response to a girls’ football coaching programme has given real impetus to Cowden in the Community.

The Central Park Community Trust is geared to seeing people of all age groups provided with opportunities for football and other sporting activities.

And the girls’ football classes, being run at the Lumphinnans Football Hub for P1-P3 girls, is seeing 30 enthusiastic youngsters have the opportunity to get free coaching sessions over a 13 week period.

The Cowden in the Community set-up is reaching out to people of all ages, and walking football sessions for senior citizens is another thing which is part of this concept which will continue to grow in 2021.

Cowdenbeath director Tom Ewing told the Times that the Trust structure was delighted to see 30 girls enjoy the sessions which have made a great start to the plans to develop opportunities as part of Cowden in the Community .

He said: “We have been pleased to see this good start with so many girls having fun and being able to get so much good coaching.

“The Trust’s aim is to provide positive life enhancing experiences using sport, and football in particular, to help people throughout the Cowdenbeath area achieve their goals.

“The encouraging thing was that the coaching course was fully booked within a few days and there is currently a waiting list.

“The key thing is that the Trust is geared to providing affordable opportunities for people of all age groups to find enhanced health and wellbeing.”

Tom said that ultimately the aim is to make Central Park a hub for sporting activities: “It would be good to use Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre’s astro facilities for sessions and also the lounges at the ground.

“It is so important to have the parents of children at coaching events as part of the activities, by giving them a place to meet in while sessions are going and with kitchen facilities at Central Park there is the opportunity to make it a good social occasion.

“We have a number of plans in the pipeline and with activities running from Tots Kickers to walking football, we cover age ranges from three years-old to those 60 plus.”

Tom stressed that the way ahead is all going to be about partnerships working well, which will involve local youth football clubs and agencies such as the Fife Leisure Trust and Fife Council.

“Things can be achieved by organisations working together and that is a key aim of the Trust plan,” concluded Tom.

There will be more on the Cowden in the Community concept in the coming weeks.