Over 60 children participated in the the Scottish FA South West Region’s Deaf Festival at Kilwinning Sports Club as part of UEFA Grassroots Week.

Activities for the fourth UEFA Grassroots Week took place across UEFA's member association countries, celebrating the foundations of football and promoting the key message that football is accessible and open to all.

In line with this, the Scottish FA, in partnership with Cashback for Communities, has invested in an equity-focused programme to make sure all of our communities engage with, and benefit from, our national game.

Run in conjunction with Ayrshire Hearing Impairment Services and the West Scotland Deaf Children’s Society, the festival was aimed at primary school children and attracted participants from across the West of Scotland.

Sessions took place on the new 3G pitch at Kilwinning Sports Club with coaching provided by Scottish FA staff alongside Ayrshire College sports students and CSLA pupils from Kilwinning Academy. Children had the opportunity to hone their dribbling, control, passing and shooting skills before enjoying small-sided games in the afternoon.

The event was led by Ayrshire College students, Jordan Kerr and Ross Sloan, both of whom have hearing impairments. Jordan said:

"Ross and I were very pleased with how the day went. One of our main objectives was to ensure that the kids had fun playing and learning about football.

"The kids played with a smile on their face so I think that we succeeded with that one!’’

This was the second year that the deaf festival had run at Kilwinning Sports Club, and the pair hoped that it would continue for many years to come. Jordan added:

"There were plenty of positives to take away home. I hope we can do it again next year and continue to build on the excellent numbers we’ve had so far.’’