CalMac helps get the right result for women's football project
Women's football on the Western Isles has moved up a league thanks to CalMac's Community Fund.
All in all more than 140 young women took part in the Lewis and Harris Women's Football Association organised festival of football from across the islands.
'Our projects have enabled girls from throughout the Western Isles to meet and compete against each other. One of the highlights of the series of events we organised was the first ever Western Isles, Girls Only, Primary age Football Festival in Leverburgh.
'We had girls and teams attending from Ness in the far north and Barra in the far South. In total we had over 60 girls in attendance, ten coaches and numerous locals,' said the LHWFA's Euan Macleod.
'The CalMac award has not only enabled the young female footballers to play more football this past year, but hopefully for many years to come.'
As a way of sustaining the sport the association proactively encourages players to become coaches through a Coaching Pathway, where players coming up to age 16 are encouraged to volunteer as lead coaches during Primary School age sessions.
Once the girls turn 16 the Club pays for them to gain their SFA Coaching qualifications. CalMac support enabled the association to pay travel expenses for four girls to attain their SFA Club Coach Award in Dingwall.
CalMac's Community Fund drives social value by supporting non profit organisations, based in a mainland port or island the company serves. Last year the fund was designed to benefit the lives of children and young people living in west coast communities. Organisations applied for an award between £500 to £2000.
So far the Fund has supported 76 projects from woman's football in the Outer Hebrides, to the Campbeltown Sea Cadets and a Gaelic youth club on Skye.
Each application was judged by a screening panel of young people recruited from across the company's network, in partnership with Young Scot and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar's Community Learning and Development team.
'I'm delighted we have been able to support the growth in girl's football in the Western Isles. We have helped lay the foundations for which I'm sure will be sustainable growth of the sport across the islands in the future,' said CalMac's Corporate Social Responsibility manager, Gordon McKillop.