The Scottish Youth Football Association

At grassroots level the National game is still very much alive and kicking with more than one and a half thousand teams with up to thirty thousand players, starting out in September of last year to attempt to win the Scottish Cup at their age group. All told there will be seven finals ranging in age from 13s to 21s. These two weekends of Football Finals are now well established in the youth sporting calendar of Scotland. Every young footballer in Scotland aspires to play at the Excelsior Stadium to compete in a Scottish Cup Final.

Football is still very much the National Game with all six regions of the Association being represented by teams competing in the seven age group finals.

The action gets underway on the final day of finals with another Glasgow Edinburgh clash when Drumchapel United 14s take on last season’s 13s winners Tynecastle FC in the 14s final at 11am. The Edinburgh side will be hoping to achieve the double as well as adding to their club’s tally of four Scottish Cup wins. The Drumchapel club have also a long history and they too will be looking to add to the club’s 2008 win in the 19s age group.

At 1.30 pm Aberdeen side Dyce BC will be looking to achieve the double when they take on Kilsyth Athletic in the 15s final. The Granite City side won the fourteens competition last year and will be hoping to maintain the proud record of Aberdeen sides in winning at one age group every year since the SYFA was founded. Kilsyth are the sole representatives of the Central region and they will be determined to do well.

The curtain will finally come down on this feast of football with the 16s final at 4pm between Aberdeen Lads Club Lewis United Youth from Aberdeen and Kilmarnock’s Bellfield Boys Club. This is the first time either club has appeared in a national final so there will definitely be a new name on the role of honour.

The Aberdeen club’s most famous old boy is none other than Denis Law they also boast of Liverpool legend Ron Yeats among their former players. All the clubs taking part in the finals can boast of similar famous old boys making a veritable who’s who of Scottish football.

The talent continues to be nurtured. Over the years a number of players who have taken part in these finals have gone on to play for Scottish League sides so the talent spotters will be out in force over the two weekends.