Stenhousemuir FC are a vibrant and dynamic community club who are a local institution around Ochil View.
 

But the club has also taken its charitable ethos onto the international stage in Cape Town, South Africa.
 

Heideveld, a neighbourhood in Cape Town, is blighted by gang warfare, drugs and high unemployment.
 

Here the Grand Commission United (GCU) is in place.

This programme offers football opportunities to children of all age-groups and provides coaching jobs to former gang members.
 

Larbert High School (LHS), home to a Scottish FA School of Football, established a link with a school in Heideveld  in 2011.
 

Stenhousemuir’s close links with LHS led to the club becoming part of the relationship.
 

The ‘Warriors’ – as the Stirlingshire club is nicknamed – recently sent two employees, Jamie Sweeney and Martyn Buckie, out to South Africa to help with the programme.
 

Part of their mission was to provide coach education, training sessions and donate equipment.
 

A lasting legacy from their time there was also high on the agenda.
 

Aided by Larbert High School head of PE Steven McGukin, the duo gave a presentation to 50 coaches from various clubs in the region on the benefits of small-sided games at under seven and eight age-groups.
 

At the end of the presentation, the coaches agreed to a pilot Fun Fours programme.
 

Scottish FA Central region manager Andy Gilchrist was full of praise for the project.

He said: "It is fantastic to see the club participating in an outreach project like this.

"We sometimes forget how privileged we are in comparison to other parts of the world and its great to see the club engaged in a programme like this and spreading some Scottish goodwill.

"It is also very heartening to hear how engaged the coaches that Jamie and Martyn met were and that they were so impressed with Scotlands National Player Pathway that they are now trying to make some changes to the game formats their youngsters play too following their sessions with them."

The Scottish FA’s Player Pathway is fully supportive of 4v4 football.
 

The youth recreational game across Scotland is now structured in a pathway proven to provide the right environment and challenges for each player at their age and stage of development.