DAFC rewarded for its community initiative with local primary schools

Dunfermline Athletic F.C are delighted to announce that our club has today received an award from the Scottish Football Partnership (SFP), in support of one of the main pillars of our community development programme.

The award from the SFP’s Community Initiative will assist DAFC in the continued delivery of a Schools’ Engagement Project across 45 primary schools in the local area.

The aim of this project is to work in partnership with local schools to provide education, sport, health and wellbeing opportunities and to promote learning and achievement of knowledge, skills and attributes through study based around the club. The programme is delivered in line with the Curriculum for Excellence and the needs of head teachers and is led by volunteer retired teachers. Around 5,000 pupils will benefit from this project which will see them engage in a new and exciting way to learn about topics that are the basis for their future lives and careers, including literacy, numeracy, health, diet, exercise and the world of employment. Players visit local schools to assist in the delivery of many of the materials and to improve pupil engagement in the learning process.

Non-playing staff and staff from the Pars Foundation meet pupils on structured visits to East End Park and engage with them on topics related to business and employment and make them aware of the coaching and soccer skills programmes available locally. The Schools’ Engagement Project delivers a direct programme of material that complies with the National Curriculum and this generates real enthusiasm within the classroom for the subjects covered.

Ross McArthur, Managing Director of Dunfermline Athletic F.C. said “The two key, lasting benefits for the club is an initial step in fulfilling our stated aim, when we came out of administration, of being a keystone of the West Fife community and of playing a leading role in various community initiatives and the second is to bring the school children of West Fife to relate to the club and become lifelong supporters.”