New Appointment to Youth Initiative

Craig McWhirter has joined the Board of Directors with a specific remit to strengthen the youth system.

Craig McWhirter's normal weekend takes in a minimum of 4 youth games

Craig McWhirter has joined the Board of Directors with a specific remit to strengthen the youth system. His focus along with Hamish French as Head of Youth will be to work closely with Jim McIntyre and Jim Leishman to make sure that there is smooth progression into the older squads. Craig told the website:-

"It has been a bit hit or miss historically in all football clubs, players get judged on ten or fifteen minutes when the first team coaches see them rather than on how they perform throughout the season. We are trying to work closer with Jim McIntyre in that area and make sure that the 17s and 19s have a clear progression plan."

Craig contacted Jim Leishman about 18 months ago with a view to starting an Under 16 team at Dunfermline. He knew that Hamilton were running both an Under 16 and Under 17 team and he felt that by going from U15 level directly to U17 level that Dunfermline would lose some very good young players.

"I initially approached Jim Leishman about starting a16s team and at that time he indicated that they were actually short of people to help run the whole Youth Initiative programme. Some of the changes in senior management had left gaps and it was the Youth System that suffered from that."

Through a friendship with Paul Donnelly the U17 coach, Craig was put in touch with Jim Leishman . He knew that Craig had been helping Paul and arranging some of the fund raising for some of the squads. His own son, Blair had been involved in the youths at Dunfermline since the end of the U13s. His experience of three and a half years working with the coaches has given the local businessman - who runs a Dunfermline based software company - insight into youth sport.

"I was happy to get involved with Jim and get involved.

Over the last 18 months he has taken on more responsibility for the management, structure and organisation. He has been involved putting in order the administration side and was invited to take a more formal part within the club, taking on the role of Youth Initiative Co-ordinator just over nine months ago.

"Jim Leishman has been very actively involved in the youths over the last year or 18 months since I got involved. Between us we were just starting to get things pretty well organised when we had the issue with the SFA. This has probably set our programme back a good few months because of the management time that should have been spent developing programmes has been spent on other things.

"Having said that I think to be fair, and to the Directors at the club, one of the things it has done is focussed the Directors attention on the youth system. They are now much more aware about how strong it is at grass roots level, particularly through the Academy where Roger Arnott is doing a great job there."

U10s, U11s, U12s and U13s are all home grown through the Academy and are very strong squads with committed coaches. Craig feels that Dunfermline in comparison to many other clubs to benefit from this:-

"I think we will see that come through in two or three years time. Most of the senior squads will start to become more Fife based, they are not at the moment and I think that will be a positive thing. It is embarrassing going through to play Celtic with two Fife players in the team when they had five. It was obviously things that we needed to improve."

The size of the task facing him is not missed on the new Director and he recognises that the funding is not the only issue:-

"The facilities is a big one - we need a home! Pitreavie is where we want to be based and I think the Council have earmarked funds for development of Pitreavie in 2010.

"The whole of Fife needs a good quality 3G (Third Generation Turf pitch) surface and money needs to be spent on drainage and pitches. There is already a very good strength and conditioning suite there at the Pitreavie Athletics Academy. All our squads are training there once a week in the strength and conditioning suite for one hour before our football sessions."

McWhirter also feels that Pitreavie really needs a good Astroturf surface to bring together squads that are currently using facilities at Queen Anne High School, the Fleet Grounds, Dalgety Bay Sports Centre, Oxgangs Primary and Royal High School in Edinburgh. This would make the overall administration so much better and relieve the pressure from Cowdenbeath, Raith Rovers and Boys Clubs for training facilities.

Craig McWhirter will aim to get budgets in place so that he can sit down with the Commercial Department and Jim Leishman to co-ordinate the funding. The Youth Initiative has its own bank account and funds are ring fenced. Any sponsors making donations to it have assurance that's where it goes. The other side of that means that the Youth Initiative have to try and fund as much as possible themselves through donations, sponsorship and fund raising.Craig McWhirter has joined the Board of Directors with a specific remit to strengthen the youth system. His focus along with Hamish French as Head of Youth will be to work closely with Jim McIntyre and Jim Leishman to make sure that there is smooth progression into the older squads. Craig told the website:-

"It has been a bit hit or miss historically in all football clubs, players get judged on ten or fifteen minutes when the first team coaches see them rather than on how they perform throughout the season. We are trying to work closer with Jim McIntyre in that area and make sure that the 17s and 19s have a clear progression plan."

Craig contacted Jim Leishman about 18 months ago with a view to starting an Under 16 team at Dunfermline. He knew that Hamilton were running both an Under 16 and Under 17 team and he felt that by going from U15 level directly to U17 level that Dunfermline would lose some very good young players.

"I initially approached Jim Leishman about starting a16s team and at that time he indicated that they were actually short of people to help run the whole Youth Initiative programme. Some of the changes in senior management had left gaps and it was the Youth System that suffered from that."

Through a friendship with Paul Donnelly the U17 coach, Craig was put in touch with Jim Leishman . He knew that Craig had been helping Paul and arranging some of the fund raising for some of the squads. His own son, Blair had been involved in the youths at Dunfermline since the end of the U13s. His experience of three and a half years working with the coaches has given the local businessman - who runs a Dunfermline based software company - insight into youth sport.

"I was happy to get involved with Jim and get involved.

Over the last 18 months he has taken on more responsibility for the management, structure and organisation. He has been involved putting in order the administration side and was invited to take a more formal part within the club, taking on the role of Youth Initiative Co-ordinator just over nine months ago.

"Jim Leishman has been very actively involved in the youths over the last year or 18 months since I got involved. Between us we were just starting to get things pretty well organised when we had the issue with the SFA. This has probably set our programme back a good few months because of the management time that should have been spent developing programmes has been spent on other things.

"Having said that I think to be fair, and to the Directors at the club, one of the things it has done is focussed the Directors attention on the youth system. They are now much more aware about how strong it is at grass roots level, particularly through the Academy where Roger Arnott is doing a great job there."

U10s, U11s, U12s and U13s are all home grown through the Academy and are very strong squads with committed coaches. Craig feels that Dunfermline in comparison to many other clubs to benefit from this:-

"I think we will see that come through in two or three years time. Most of the senior squads will start to become more Fife based, they are not at the moment and I think that will be a positive thing. It is embarrassing going through to play Celtic with two Fife players in the team when they had five. It was obviously things that we needed to improve."

The size of the task facing him is not missed on the new Director and he recognises that the funding is not the only issue:-

"The facilities is a big one - we need a home! Pitreavie is where we want to be based and I think the Council have earmarked funds for development of Pitreavie in 2010.

"The whole of Fife needs a good quality 3G (Third Generation Turf pitch) surface and money needs to be spent on drainage and pitches. There is already a very good strength and conditioning suite there at the Pitreavie Athletics Academy. All our squads are training there once a week in the strength and conditioning suite for one hour before our football sessions."

McWhirter also feels that Pitreavie really needs a good Astroturf surface to bring together squads that are currently using facilities at Queen Anne High School, the Fleet Grounds, Dalgety Bay Sports Centre, Oxgangs Primary and Royal High School in Edinburgh. This would make the overall administration so much better and relieve the pressure from Cowdenbeath, Raith Rovers and Boys Clubs for training facilities.

Craig McWhirter will aim to get budgets in place so that he can sit down with the Commercial Department and Jim Leishman to co-ordinate the funding. The Youth Initiative has its own bank account and funds are ring fenced. Any sponsors making donations to it have assurance that's where it goes. The other side of that means that the Youth Initiative have to try and fund as much as possible themselves through donations, sponsorship and fund raising.

Craig is one of five new Dunfermline Athletic Directors joining the Board.  The others are Gordon McDougall, Iain Jones, Steven Curtis and Karen Masterton.