In rural areas like Argyll there’s plenty to do – but not enough for young people to do. The five-a-side football Midnight Leagues sound immediately fun and cool.

Hugely successful, the leagues are run by a partnership of The Bank of Scotland, the Scottish Football Association (SFA), Local Police and Argyll and Bute Council’s Football Development Programme.

The Bank of Scotland Midnight League is a national award-winning five-a-side community football development initiative. It brings activity, excitement, competition and team skills – the last two so often foolishly lacking in today’s curriculum.

Young boys and girls from twelve to nineteen years old have somewhere to go, something active to do, people to be with and people to keep them safe and off the streets on Friday and Saturday evenings. A by-product of the leagues is the reduction of youth crime and anti-social behaviour.

From a successful pilot in some areas of Scotland in 2003, the programme has grown year on year and is now more popular than ever. In the last calendar year, the scheme saw leagues established in all thirty-two Scottish Local Authorities, reaching over two thousand young people.

Argyll and Bute Council’s Midnight League programme starts on Friday 30th January and will be available at Atlantis Leisure, Oban; Kirkmichael Recreation Sports Ground; Helensburgh; Lochgilphead Joint Campus; Rothesay Joint Campus; and Dunoon Stadium Astro Pitches.

And it;s very easy to get involved. All that young people have to do is turn up and register on one of the nights – it’s free of charge.

Local community police officer Gordon Stewart of Rothesay says ‘I am really looking forward to working alongside other partner agencies with the Midnight League Football Coaching in Rothesay. This is an excellent diversionary activity that we are having the opportunity to participate in here on Bute’.

Adele Mills, Sponsorship Manager for Bank of Scotland says: ‘Our Midnight League was launched as a pilot scheme in 2003 and it has been a great success across Scotland. In fact, it was voted the Best Community Sports Programme in the UK recently’.

For further information on the Bank of Scotland Midnight League please call: Dylan Kerr, Football Development Officer at Library HQ in Sandbank, Dunoon – phone: 01369 703214.