Success of junior footballers paves way for new under-16 team in Tain
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An “exciting” new collaboration between youth and senior football clubs in Tain will ensure that no player should have to leave the town to play football, club chiefs say.
St Duthus Football Club announced the expansion of its youth activities this week, with the formation of a new under-16 team to be run in partnership with youth football club, Tain Juniors.
The move comes on the back of Tain Juniors’ successful under-14 programme, which was formed in 2022 in a bid to create football opportunities for secondary age children in Tain.
St Duthus FC, who have run under-18 teams since 2018, have announced that they will work in conjunction with Tain Juniors as part of a project to “rebuild the pathway” for youngsters hoping to eventually move into the ranks of senior football.
“After the 2022-23 season concluded, we took a short hiatus to begin working on a plan to rebuild the pathway from the younger ages up,” St Duthus chair Niall Harkiss said. “Thanks to the foundations laid by Tain Juniors and their fantastic under-14 setup, we can now pick up the baton and begin to fill the gap for players in their teenage years.”
“This exciting step in the development of young footballers in Tain and its surrounding areas is what has been missing for some years. The aim is that it will lead not only to a successful under-16 side, but also to the return of our under-18s, ultimately completing the pathway for youngsters into adulthood.”
Tain Juniors FC chairman Gary Ross said: “We are delighted to be working with St Duthus FC on this new under-16 set up, which will allow the children continuity and a pathway to adult football.
“Our under-14s have been fantastic this season and with several of them moving up in age after the summer, we feel it's only right that there is competitive football available to them locally for the 2024-25 season.
“This collaboration completes the pathway for all ages and ensures that no young player at any stage in their development should have to leave Tain to play their football.”
Tain Juniors' under-14s have been competing as members of the Scottish Youth FA's Moray Firth Youth Development League this season, which involves eleven teams from towns as far north as Caithness, all the way down to Fort William.
The new under-16 team will apply for entry to the Highland Football League north division, which covers the North Highlands, and some parts of Moray.
The “Young Saints”, who last competed at under-18 level in 2022-23, are now actively seeking interest from parties to join a sub-committee of coaches and volunteers, to help with duties such as first aid or match preparation.
Mr Harkiss added: “We would love to hear from anyone who would like to come on board to help with this exciting new project. Whether it be helping the team, or assisting behind the scenes – extra support is always appreciated.”
St Duthus FC youth can be contacted via email at youth@stduthusfc.co.uk or via Facebook.
