Cruyff Court Neale Cooper and Streetsport Volunteer nominated at Aberdeen Sport Awards
Cruyff Court Neale Cooper and long-time Streetsport volunteer Dave Thompson and has been nominated for Community Sports Project Of The Year and Adult Volunteer Of The Year, respectively, at the Aberdeen Sports Awards 2023.
Cruyff Court Neale Cooper received a nomination for its impact on reducing youth anti-social behaviour rates in Torry. Cruyff Courts are floodlit, multi-purpose sports pitches that provides communities with an unbookable, entirely free-to-access sports hub.
Since the building of Cruyff Court Neale Cooper in 2019, anti-social behaviour in the area has been slashed by 50% and where the area once topped anti-social behavioural charts – it is now 6th.
Denis Law Legacy Trust in partnership with the Johan Cruyff Foundation and Aberdeen City Council established Cruyff Court Neale Cooper after the success of Cruyff Court Denis Law, Aberdeen’s first Cruyff Court.
On the Community Sports Project award, Mark Williams said “We are delighted that the positive work we do for young people and the wider community at Cruyff Court Neale Cooper is being recognised at this years prestigious Aberdeen Sports Awards.”
“One highlight of our work on the court this year was helping host our first ever community fun day, organised by young people from the area and our youth forum “Granite City Speaks”. It was a great success with over 600 local people in attendance. Its thanks to the Cruyff Court that we were able to build such positive relationships with young people in the first place and use it to help give them an opportunity to give back to their community. Something I’m sure will become a regular feature in the Torry calendar going forward.”
“It is also fantastic to see one of our long term volunteers Dave Thompson shortlisted as Adult Volunteer of the year. Dave is an inspirational role model to many young people and it’s Volunteers like him that have played a large part in our work being such a success providing platforms for young people to thrive.”
Last year, Dave was shortlisted as BBC Sports Personality Of The Year: Unsung Hero for his years of dedicated volunteering to Denis Law Legacy Trust’s Streetsport programme, which is ran in partnership with Robert Gordon University, and other charitable work.
Dave, 54, is a regular volunteer at Streetsport sessions in Torry, while working full-time as Director of UK Sales at Dyce-based Remote Medical International.
Denis Law Legacy Trust Chair, Alistair Findlater added “I am thrilled that Cruyff Court Neale Cooper and Streetsport’s Dave Thompson are being celebrated at the Aberdeen Sport Awards 2023 for their positive impact on the community in Torry.”
“Our Cruyff Courts and volunteers are a staple of Denis Law Legacy Trust operations so to have both nominated for an award is great news and reinforces that Denis Law Legacy Trust activities are making a positive impact on reducing anti-social behaviour and enabling volunteer’s personal development.”
The winners of the Aberdeen Sports Awards 2023 will be announced on the 23rd of March at the P&J Live.
