Dan Curnyn - Community Football Officer

Assisting in the development of performance level athletes in Perth & Kinross is a role that Live Active Leisure takes seriously. One of their most recent projects, funded in conjunction with the Scottish FA, is the appointment of a Club and Community Football Officer, Dan Curnyn.

The innovative partnership has allowed Dan to focus on supporting clubs, improving the quality of coaches and also driving increased participation by attracting new players into football through community based initiatives for children and adults of all ages.

Thanks to his drive and commitment, Dan has already delivered on opportunities across all five localities: Highland Perthshire, Kinross, Perth City, Eastern Blairgowrie and Strathearn.

There are already some great initiatives off the ground and being delivered. 

Dan commented, “There are already some great initiatives off the ground and being delivered. We’ve launched two new participation centres focusing on pre-school football in both Aberfeldy and Kinross, and delivered 4 new partner centres with Auchterarder CFC, Blairgowrie CFC and Kinross Colts. These have targeted 5-10 year old girls and 5-6 year old boys playing the game for the first time.”       

Dan has also been carrying out joint working within the Perth & Kinross Strategic Football Group.

“An important part of the role is to develop links between Live Active Leisure programmes and club football to improve local pathways for talented players. By supporting club volunteers we aim to help grow the game, spotting and nurturing the most promising athletes as we go.

“The launch of the first ‘Club Together’ forum for football clubs in Perth and Kinross has allowed everyone within the sport locally to come together to discuss best practice and help to shape the direction for football in the area.  

“We’ve held various professional development events for Live Active football coaches – the most recent was a session delivered by the Scottish FA’s Coach & Player Development Manager, Gavin Beith.”

This work with PKSFG has also allowed the development of a fun fours, super fives and central 7-aside league based at the South Inch, which in turn has facilitated the creation of 25 additional small sided pitches and a centralised festival format for the teams within PKYFA.

Throughout the summer months Dan held seven week-long holiday camps in partnership with local football clubs – Auchterarder CFC,  Jeanfield Swifts CFC, Scone Thistle Community Club and Kinross Colts JFC and organised and hosted a total of three Regional Girls Football festivals for 11s and 13s age group – the most recent event saw over 200 girls and 20 regional teams in attendance.

Dan has had a great start, with the girls’ festivals and club together forums proving to be very successful with coaches, clubs and players.

Kevin Lee,  Scottish FA commented, “It has been fantastic to work in partnership with Live Active Leisure on this project, and we’ve been impressed with their commitment to developing football in Perth and Kinross, both from a developmental point of view, and with a focus on increasing participation in our target groups.

“Dan has had a great start, with the girls’ festivals and club together forums proving to be very successful with coaches, clubs and players.”

Learn more about Live Active Leisure here.

Talented Athlete Scheme - Live Active Leisure

Together with Sportscotland and the Tayside & Fife Institute of Sport, Live Active Leisure works in developing the additional needs of high achieving athletes in the area.

These are the young athletes who demonstrate the skill and commitment required to represent Scotland and Great Britain on an international stage. Live Active Leisure’s Talented Athletes’ Scheme supports these young people by providing assistance and free access to their venues.

These are the young athletes who demonstrate the skill and commitment required to represent Scotland and Great Britain on an international stage.This enables them to reach their full potential and to achieve world class performance levels. This is about nurturing and developing our local talent by helping these young athletes train and grow in the support network of their home towns and city.

By doing this, they hope to inspire other youngsters in Perth and Kinross and to bring that real sense of achievement a city embraces when celebrating the success of one of their own.

Members of the Talented Athlete Scheme can also apply to be part of the Perfromance Squad. These opportunities have been made possible with financial support from both The Gannochy Trust and sportscotland.