Children from local primary schools across Aberdeen had an afternoon of football and fun at the Tesco Bank Football Challenge Festival, as Dons manager Craig Brown and players Jamie Langfield and Stephen Hughes paid a special visit to the 240 participants.

The schools came together at Aberdeen Sports Village for a finale to remember, after taking part in six weeks of coaching sessions as part of the Scottish FA’s flagship participation programme.

Aberdeen manager Craig Brown said:

“It’s great for the club to be part of the Tesco Bank Football Challenge. Aberdeen FC has been heavily involved in the delivery of this project since its inception and it’s brilliant to see so many local children enjoying football with their local club."

Laura Fowler, Head teacher at Tullos Primary School said:

“It is fantastic to be part of the Tesco Bank Football Challenge. The children had a wonderful day at Aberdeen Sports Village and one I’m sure they will remember for a very long time.”

The Tesco Bank Football Challenge is a four-year community programme run in partnership with the Scottish FA. The project introduces football to Primary two and Primary three children (six to eight years old) across Scotland to help get them engage in a healthy and active lifestyle.

After two years of the programme over 39,000 children (8.7% more than targeted) across 1000 schools in Scotland have been engaged with the country’s leading football participation programme, accounting for more than 40% of the nation’s primary schools.

The Scottish FA led programme was recognised by UEFA, winning a silver grassroots award last season.

Scottish FA football development officer at Aberdeen FC, Gavin Levey said:

“The Tesco Bank Football Challenge continues to grow from strength to strength and we’re pleased to welcome the children to Aberdeen for a third successive year.”


Adele Mills, Community Investment Manager at Tesco Bank added:

“The Tesco Bank Football Challenge continues to be a huge success.  We’re delighted that children in Aberdeen can benefit and carry on being part of a programme that has been recognised by UEFA as outstanding in its field.”