Grassroots Football News

Newbuildings CIS Mini Soccer Centre has been running for the past six months with support of local volunteers and Newbuildings Community Centre and caters for over 50 children from across all communities in the area.

The CIS Mini Soccer Centre is aimed at providing fun and informal coaching based around small-sided games for boys’ and girls’, aged between 6 and 12, regardless of ability. Coaching sessions include speed, agility and quickness training, skill development games and mini soccer matches with an emphasis at all times on fun.

There are currently 41 CIS Mini Soccer Centres across Northern Ireland that cater for 3,607 children (3,032 boys and 575 girls), with each CIS Mini Soccer Centre taking place at a sports centre and run by co-ordinators who all have a minimum level 3 coaching award.

Speaking about the Newbuildings CIS Mini Soccer Centre and the benefits Mini Soccer can bring young people, Kevin Doherty, Grassroots Development Officer, Derry City Council, says; “The Newbuildings CIS Mini Soccer Centre is about introducing young people to soccer at an early age and through soccer helping them develop their football skills, have fun and make new friends, whilst teaching them important qualities such as respect, discipline and teamwork.

“We are very pleased with how the centre is developing, but the launch will allow us to introduce a lot more local children to the benefits of Mini Soccer.

“Through the Mini Soccer Centre, we hope that young people will enjoy their introduction to football and can develop to reach their true potential.

Aileen Walters, Sponsorship Manager for Co-operative Insurance (CIS) said: “CIS has a strong tradition of supporting football at grassroots level throughout the UK through our Kits for Kids and coaching initiatives. The CIS Mini Soccer Centres provide an ideal platform to extend this support throughout Northern Ireland with activities which link to our sponsorship of the CIS Insurance Cup.  Newbuildings is a fine example of a CIS Mini Soccer Centre, numbers are increasing and thanks to the enthusiasm and skills of Wes and his coaches, I am sure this trend will continue throughout the year.”

For more information on Newbuildings CIS Mini Soccer Centre, please contact Kevin Doherty on 02871 361 566 / 078 0232 7592, or email:kevin.Doherty@derrycity.gov.uk