As recently reported on the Club's Official Website, the St Mirren community coaches are involved in the current deployment of a street football programme in a joint venture with various partner groups throughout Renfrewshire and funded through the 'Safer Renfrewshire Partnership' and 'Investing in Futures'.

To date the community coaches have been involved with the engagement of over two thousand participants. The success of the new initiative, as confirmed by the Scottish Football Association as the largest street football programme in the country, has taken all who are involved by surprise, so much so that Sky Sports reporter Charles Patterson paid a recent visit to one of the venues to report on the ongoing success of the current youth diversionary programme.

In the first few months of its deployment the street football programme has already played a significant part in the reduction on anti-social behaviour throughout Renfrewshire. The street football pitches, which are staffed by St Mirren FC community coaches, are deployed at times and locations where most anti-social behaviour is recorded.

The use of the programme has already shown a reduction of anti-social behaviour by 30% in Linwood, 26% in the Thrushcraig area of Paisley and 24% in Knockhill and Kirklandneuk within Renfrew.

The programme, which has already visited four different venues over three evenings per week, will be throughout the school holidays adding a further three different venues - Glenburn, Johnstone Castle and Hunterhill - to the successful ongoing programme. We are currently promoting the programme within these areas in preparation for the street football initiative going live in these areas.

Community Coach Frazer Robertson said of the upcoming TV programme and the ongoing success of the community section's street football programme: "Last night was part of a SFA programme - that will be shown on Sky Sports News this Sunday - which is promoting the Scottish FA being awarded the 'Six Star Award' for grass roots football. We are one of the first countries to receive this new award so they are doing a report on all programmes that the SFA are involved in which includes the street football.

"Prior to the 'Six Star Award' for grass roots football, the SFA along with the FA's from England, Germany, Holland and Finland had the UEFA 'Five Star Award' for grass roots football. So recently we all applied for the new 'Six Star Award' and we in Scotland became one of the first countries to receive it a few months ago.

"Recently one of the UEFA assessors, who was from Holland, was over here to look at the various programmes and he came to one of our 'Midnight Leagues' which was assessed as part of gaining the new award.

"At present the St Mirren community coaches are running the biggest street football programme in the country with three mobile pitches being sited at key areas three times a week. So Sky Sports came to one of our sites to do some interviews and get some video footage of the kids taking part."

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