Founded in 1873 and based at Hampden Park, in Glasgow, the Scottish FA is the national governing body for football in Scotland and exists to promote, foster and develop the game at all levels within the country. Our vision is to grow our national game through developing a culture of improved performance at all levels, taking the game to a wider audience and expanding the benefit, enjoyment and value that football can bring to everyone across Scotland. Football for Social Change is a concept embraced by the Scottish FA. Our sport has a massive influence upon the nation, the Scottish FA is working to harness the positive impact football has on areas such as health and wellbeing, community cohesion, education and citizenship. The Scottish FA has been involved in a number of social impact projects over the past 10 years, some of which are outlined below:
My Inclusive Community
A programme that reflects the multicultural society that exists within modern Scotland, the My Inclusive Community programme utilises the strong partnership between the Scottish FA and Cashback for Communities to work with individuals from ethnic minority backgrounds. Recognising that young people born into an ethnic minority household are nearly twice as likely to experience poverty in areas of multiple deprivation, the MIC programme works with those between the ages of 10 and 24 to provide bespoke opportunities in the world of sport and wider community. By taking part in practical football activities alongside classroom sessions – including presentations from industry professionals such as referees and physiotherapists – each young person develops as an individual.
My School of Football
We pride ourselves on providing opportunities for all young people in Scotland, regardless of income or background, and our programmes reach some of the most deprived areas in our communities. The My School of Football programme is now in its tenth year and continues to benefit children between the ages of 12 and 14 during their transition from primary to secondary school. The initiative works with over 2000 young people across the country to provide a Curriculum for Excellence-focused programme of football coaching alongside each student’s academic education. Focusing on cognitive and social skills, the programme aims to provide pupils with a transferrable skillset through the medium of football.
Scottish Para Football
In 2017, the Scottish FA re-branded its work within disability football to ‘Para-Football’. This brand was created to allow greater emphasis on the diverse work carried out by the Scottish FA within this area of the game as well as to create a stronger voice for people living with varying conditions. The Scottish FA is committed to ensure the game in Scotland can truly be “Football for all” and in 2017 launched its new strategy “PlayAbility… Our Game is the Same”. The strategy, which will run through to 2022, aims to create greater opportunities within Para-Football which will allow participants to reach their full potential.
FIRE
The Scottish FA is excited to be part of the FIRE project. Football is widely viewed as a universal language making it well placed to positively contribute to the integration of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants living in Scotland. The national conference being held in Glasgow on 26th September represents an excellent opportunity for our football clubs to forge links with other actors working in this area. Furthermore, we strongly believe that the project will deliver an excellent resource, in the form of the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course), to support our clubs to engage with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants