A CLACKS football team has been awarded almost £3,000 to help train coaches.

Alloa Saints Football Club has been awarded a grant of £2,805 by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust (CRT).

The club’s membership, which totals around 220 with 170 of these being junior members, trains and holds regular matches at Alloa Academy and Clackmannanshire Country Cricket Club.

The funding granted by the CRT will enable the club to train additional coaches, who will then go on to play a key role in accommodating its expansion, as well as address the needs of its rapidly growing membership.

Along with providing training and playing opportunities, the club educates its players in CPR and defibrillator use, in collaboration with its charity partner Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland.

Each team has received a defibrillator, with CPR training lined up for all players and parents.

Paul Robertson, the chair of Alloa Saints FC, said: “This is a great boost to the Club and allows us to get an additional 30 coaches qualified.

“We are indebted to the staff at CRT who guided us through the application process. “

Bob Young, CRT Scotland Trustee, added: “We’re thrilled to be able to support Alloa Saints FC with facilitating the training of new coaches, as the club delivers a fantastic service to local members and teaches important skills both on and off the pitch.”

The Scottish Government funds the work of the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in Scotland. Its mission is to champion and strengthen coalfield communities, generate resources to respond to their needs and deliver programmes to make a positive and lasting difference in coalfield areas.

The Coalfields Regeneration Trust was formed in 1999 and since then Scotland has invested over £20 million, to over 1200 community-based projects in the hardest hit areas.

Visit coalfields-regen.org.uk/ for more information.