Youth plan comes to Capital

MEMBERS of Edinburgh's youth football community will attend a presentation tonight hosted by the entrepreneurs behind an exciting new initiative designed to "bring a buzz" to the game.

Robbie Forsyth, coach of Edinburgh University Ladies, and his Youth Football Scotland team embark on the Capital leg of their nationwide tour and have been encouraged by the support they have received so far.

Forsyth said: "We want to help bring a buzz to youth football by letting everyone see what everyone else is up to - not just who is doing best but who is having most fun.

The not-for-profit venture is run by 20-30 volunteers and its "shop window" will be a website where each region of youth football has its own page.

"The idea came about because people felt youth football lacked a streamlined common channel, where people can chat to each other and exchange news and views," said Forsyth.

"The No.1 thing for me was that many clubs at the moment have their own websites and they're not linked to each other, so if someone had a great idea to do with coaching or to make the fans on a touchline more observant, it would have been difficult to get the message out.

"It's the job of local associations to regulate and administrate, not to create ideas."

The presentation is being held at Powerleague's function suite at 10 Westbank Street in Portobello at 7pm.

To register for tonight's event, log on to http://www.youthfootballscotland.co.uk and follow the instructions on the main page. Alternatively, call Robbie Forsyth on 07967 594 329.