Hermes Bridge of Don YFC’s para-football team are gearing up for the Denis Law Community Festival tournament this weekend.
The team will take part in the Disability Football Tournament on Saturday at Aberdeen Sports Village as part of the Denis Law Community Festival.
This year is the first time the festival – which takes place over 10 days – has been able to take place since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is also the first time additional support needs football has been included in the plethora of sporting events.
Hermes’ para-football team only launched in October 2021 and has grown from having just nine players to now having more than 20 keen footballers signed up.
At Hermes, most of the players range from secondary-school age to young adults – but the club have just welcomed their first junior participant in 9-year-old AJ.
Most competitive matches
Having only played in two games since they started, Hermes are raring to play in what will be their most competitive matches yet at this weekend’s festival tournament.
Hermes’ coach Tom Bruce hopes that the tournament at ASV will be the beginning of regular matches as he hopes to enter the team in the SFA Para-Football national league.
He said: “Everybody wants to play and everybody likes winning. I know it’s about taking part, but everybody wants to be part of a team and for the social side as well.
“We want to be playing matches that’s why we’re at training – at any level of football.
“That’s why I’m pushing as hard as I can to get us in the national league so every month we’ve got matches and something we’re gearing up towards.”
Hermes’ player Jamie Maciver is looking forward to playing at ASV with his teammates on Saturday, and believes the most important thing is making sure they all enjoy it.
He said: “We just have to make sure we don’t get too stressed. This whole thing is just playing for fun – that’s the most important thing.”
Benefitting players and coaches alike
Since starting the team, Bruce has seen how much being part of Hermes means to his players and how much it benefits them.
He believes that playing football has helped improve the player’s day-to-life, through the regular exercise and social aspect of meeting new people.
Bruce said: “You really don’t appreciate the benefit of this until you’re involved in it, and how much it means to people.
“As somebody who was brought up taking football for granted and the social side: meeting friends and the other things that come with football – it means so much to them.
“Coming here on a Saturday is something they all look forward to. We’ve improved the fitness of the team and the skills.
“I’m very luck to have good coaches that support us and come along, who have done their SFA badges. They’re passing on their good habits as well.”
Bruce added: “I look at life slightly differently as well. It’s changed my outlook and we’re all lucky to be working with them.
“I’ve taken a lot and my coaches have taken a lot out of this – and we’re here for the long run.
“We’re looking at this for the next five and 10 years. We’re wanting to grow it and make it bigger.”