Street Soccer Success Story
“THIS place,” says John Hall, looking out at the Townhead PowerLeague centre, “gave me the chance to socialise with the widest range of people.”
When John first came to Kennedy Street, he wasn’t, by his own admission, great at socialising with others. That changed pretty quickly.
Ask the 35-year-old how he first came across Street Soccer and he says: “I was going through recovery and was going to a community rehabilitation for drugs and alcohol misuse.
“One day they said they would take me to here for a cracking wee game of football. So I came down, got involved with the sessions, and that’s where my journey with Street Soccer started.
“It took me a year to get sober, and in the time of me getting sober through my recovery, I was at the drop-in sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
The place quickly got under his skin. Before long, he was hooked.
John, who is now a sessional worker with Street Soccer, adds: “Before I became a staff member I was here as a client, so I’ve seen it from both sides.
“I was coming here for just a couple of weeks then I was involved in tournaments, and then we were involved in more drop-in sessions, and it just escalated from there.
“Coming here gave me structure and something to focus on, even though my emotions and my mindset were all over the camp.
“The social side here was important for me: meeting everybody, getting involved, being part of something – that was a major thing for me.
“Socialising was a big thing for me because when I was going through my recovery I was inside myself. I didn’t really like socialising with people.
“I didn’t really know if I had anything in common with anybody else who wasn’t in recovery.
“So this place gave me the chance to socialise with a multi range of people – different races, people from different places, all different backgrounds. Homeless, drugs, you name it.
“It kept my feet on the ground and kept me coming back.”
John draws on his own experience when working with kids.
“I use my own experiences when doing the kids’ coaching,” he says. “I always go back to this – how I got here, and why I’m here. That gives me the motivation to pass it onto the kids.
“If you get them at 10 to 16, they’re at a very vulnerable age. I know what it’s like to be that vulnerable at that age. I was bullied at school, I was really overweight, so I can kind of relate to some of the issues that the younger kids are going through.”
John appreciates the value of football in Street Soccer’s approach.
“I think it’s down to the fact that we’re all doing something together. It’s team bonding.
“You’ve got the social element. A lot of guys come down here and they don’t really have any kind of football knowledge at all – but after a couple of weeks down here they’re passing better, they’re shooting better, they’re making runs on and off the ball.
“Every day is a school-day when you’re down here, especially for the people who are not so talented, compared to the ones who have been here for years.
“We’re looking for the ones who’ve been here for years to be encouraging them, to motivate them on and off the park, meeting and greeting them when they come in, getting to know every single person, and getting them to keep coming back here.
“The more people come back, the happier I am, because then we’re doing something right,” adds John. “Look at the pitches today – there are 50-odd people out there. We had 57 earlier this week.
“We’re reaching out, and we’re touching a lot of people.”
** Website: www.streetsoccerscotland.org
IT wasn’t quite football, but it was an important part of Street Soccer Scotland’s activities, nevertheless.
Street Soccer joined one of its partners, Quality Meat Scotland, at the Riverside community hall, in Clydebrae Street.
On the menu: the importance of a healthy diet.
Jenni Henderson, Quality Meat Scotland Health and Education executive said: “Quality Meat Scotland is proud to support Street Soccer Scotland and as part of this we are keen to communicate the importance of a healthy diet.
“This event in Govan saw the QMS health and education team joined by chef Daniela Forbes to show children and parents just how easy it is to cook simple, quick nutritious meals using Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb or Specially Selected Pork.
“We encouraged mums, dads and children to take part to see just how quick and easy it is to make great food on a budget from scratch. Cooking as a family can be great fun too.”
Among the dishes being cooked were Scotch Beef Fajitas and Curry-in-a-Hurry.
Original Article Here: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13719861.John_Hall__I_kicked_my_life_into_shape_with_Street_Soccer/
Written by: Russell Leadbetter
