Gannochy Trust Support

Nil by Mouth has been awarded funding from the Gannochy Trust to run the ‘Us & Them’ project in conjunction with four high schools helping young football fans explore the passion, pantomime and poison which swirls around the sport in Scotland.  

Ex player, manager and anti-discrimination campaigner Kevin Harper leads one of the sessions

The programme works with groups of young people with a strong allegiance to their teams and explores developments such as the growth of football ‘Ultras’ in Scotland as well as the things that make football such an important part of their lives. Groups have the chance to work with ex-players and football writers and learn more about careers in the sport as well as examining the impact of discrimination in the Scottish game. The programme will also see teenagers tie-in with SPFL clubs and their community trusts to highlight the positive impact football has on lives right across the country.

The project will also explore rivalry in sport and what behaviours are acceptable, or otherwise, in football stadiums and involves ex English and Scottish Premier League player and anti-racism campaigner Kevin Harper and one of the UK’s leading football writers and podcasters Daniel Gray.

Nil by Mouth Director Dave Scott said:

‘Football is such a huge part of the fabric of life in the west of Scotland and we wanted to devise a project that provided small, focused groups of young hardcore fans with an opportunity to properly reflect of why the sport means so much to them.

During these six week blocks they will have the chance to explore the passion, pantomime and poison which swirls around the game and have their say on what they believe is acceptable or otherwise in, or around, a football stadium. We are also linking in with colleges and SPFL club’s community trusts to highlight a range of options for careers in the sport ranging from coaching to analytics as well working on the ground with staff.

This has proven to be one of our most successful education programmes to date and that’s because there is growing need in society to help young men consider attitudes and behaviours in a way that meets them where they are and ask the big questions rather than force-feed answers. Teachers point to the strong levels of attendance at sessions, often from pupils who can be quite disengaged from other parts of the curriculum and highlight the positive feedback they get from the young people on what they have been doing or talking about.'

For more information on this project please contact Dave Scott at: mail@nilbymouth.org