The Queen's Park FC Foundation Newsletter - 9th Edition
Hey folks! Queen’s Park FC Foundation is thrilled to share some fantastic news from all our departments: Community, Education, and Football. We had an amazing Big Noise Sports Day, Sphero Mini Technology for primary school pupils, and have exciting updates from our Community Football teams and One-Pot Cooking Class. There are many ways you can help and get involved with our foundation – every bit of support makes a difference. Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and exciting developments!
Big Noise & QPFC Foundation - Sports Day
Queen’s Park FC Foundation had the honour of providing a fun-filled sports day alongside our good friends over at Big Noise, on Thursday 25th July, having activities both inside and outside!
Big Noise Govanhill is a high-quality music education and social change programme that works intensively with children, young people and families in Glasgow’s Southside. Big Noise uses the symphony orchestra as a community through which children gain an invaluable range of life skills and experiences. They develop confidence, teamwork, resilience, pride and aspiration as well as the capacity to work hard, supporting them to reach their potential and lead successful and fulfilled lives.
As part of the Big Noise Summer Camp, the Foundation was delighted to help run some physical activities over the past few weeks, culminating in our sports day which was a huge success. Outwith the Sports Day, the Foundation collaborates with Big Noise through running active sessions, helping children keep ‘fit-as-a-fiddle’. Weekly volunteer visits engage children in mental and physical benefits of keeping fit and healthy whilst making sessions fun and engaging for children of all ages and stages.
Jacqueline John, Education Manager at the Foundation, was thrilled at how the day panned out:
“We had an incredible morning at our sports day for the summer club! It was wonderful to see the young people enthusiastically participating in flat races, football stations, and potted sports. Our dedicated staff and volunteers had a fantastic time running the event. A big thank you to everyone involved for making it a memorable day!”
Exciting New Coding Technology for our Primary School Students
We are thrilled to announce that our education team has received an incredible new set of Sphero Minis, a cutting-edge technology that will revolutionise our coding programmes. These dynamic, app-enabled robotic balls are not only fun and engaging but also provide an excellent platform for teaching essential coding skills to our primary school pupils.
With the Sphero Minis, pupils will have the opportunity to dive into the world of coding through interactive and hands-on learning experiences. This innovative technology allows children to see their code come to life as they program the robots to navigate mazes, perform tricks, and even play games. Such activities make learning to code exciting and accessible, fostering a love for technology and problem-solving from a young age.
Our aim is to increase educational attainment and open up new opportunities for all pupils, particularly those who might not have had the chance to explore coding otherwise. By integrating these robots into our curriculum, we are ensuring that every child can develop critical thinking skills and understand the relevance of coding in today’s technology-driven world. This initiative will prepare our pupils for future success, equipping them with valuable skills that are increasingly important in various career paths.
We look forward to seeing our pupils thrive as they embark on this exciting journey into the world of coding with Sphero Minis.
Community Football Update
Everyone at the Foundation is buzzing with excitement as we gear up for the start of our Community Football season this Friday, 2nd August. Most of our squads will be back on the training field, and we can’t wait to see everyone in action!
We would love to have you join our team! The Foundation has several opportunities available for our community teams:
2011 Head Coach – Paid Position
2012 Head Coach – Paid Position
GK Coach – Volunteer Position
Assistant Coaches – Volunteer Positions (Boys – 2019/18/17/12/11s, Girls – U8s)
Squads (Boys 2019/18/17/15/14/13/12s, Girls U8/12s)
Head coach positions require a 1.2 SFA Coaching Certificate as a minimum. If you’re interested in becoming an assistant coach, don’t worry – we’ll support you in achieving your coaching certificates as you grow with us.
It would be fantastic to have you involved! If you’re interested in any of these positions or want to sign up for one of our community teams, please get in touch at: foundation.football@queensparkfc.co.uk.
We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully welcoming you to our football family!
One-Pot Cooking Class
Preparation is well underway for our one-pot cooking class, “In-the-Mixer”, beginning on the 15th of August, at Clincarthill Parish Church.
Across six weeks, cooking along with our community chef, families will develop basic food hygiene, handling and preparation skills, with the added benefits of enjoying the free meal, cooked together whilst in a social environment.
Young people will attend our youth club simultaneously, learning, playing and eating together at the end of the lessons with us too, supported by additional staff and volunteers from the Foundation.
All meals will comprise of culturally and religiously accessible food, and all allergies will be catered for, encompassing the Foundation’s values of inclusivity and empowerment.Our exciting youth club will feature fun, active group games featuring some sporting elements to help keep us fit and build an appetite.
Our young people can also enjoy our array of table top games, worksheets and crafting activities to learn more about health and nutrition and we will also have some interactive food preparation going on, like flatbread making.
To register your interest, or commit to booking your families space, fill out the link below:
If you require any assistance with submitting the form or have general any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us and our team will be in touch: foundation.programmes@queensparkfc.co.uk
The Foundation appreciates that not everyone has access to social media and would gently like to encourage our readers to share this programme within their own networks and communities.
How can you help?
As we strive towards new projects and new horizons, the Foundation would like to hear from you, the local community!
We are keen to hear suggestions on areas that you think we may not have covered, programmes that we could collaborate on, or general suggestions.
Just drop us an email at: foundation.programmes@queensparkfc.co.uk