Sandy's got a design for life

One of the local youth football clubs may have been the starting point for the career of Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, but for many youngsters growing up in Liberton there is only one face of football.

Sandy Walker, a plasterer by trade, has overseen the development of hundreds of young players, many of whom are now turning out in the development teams of senior clubs.

Away from his day job, he volunteers two weekday nights as well as a morning and afternoons over each weekend towards training and matches - plus countless more hours on the administration of running teams for players aged 4-14 at Edinburgh South FC.

There are countless Jose Mourinhos-in-the-making in the Lothians who selflessly give their time towards helping youngsters, but it is perhaps Sandy's character and the circumstances in which he took the plunge into coaching that sets him apart.

"I'm giving the lads something I never got when I was growing up," says the 46-year-old, who runs a Saturday morning 'Soccer School' for 4-7 year olds as well as taking an under-14 side for training and matches. "I only played football in the street. A lot of kids out there are doing nothing, and the Soccer School is for them.

"My son Dean has cystic fibrosis and he needs exercise to work his lungs. I phoned up five years ago to find out if he could join the club but they said there were too many boys already - but that I could take a team myself if I wanted. It was the only way to get my son to play other than to look further from home.

"So, I put an ad out for an under-7s team to start in the area, and 36 boys got in touch. I had to talk parents into being coaches and soon we had three teams playing."

His persuasive powers extended even beyond encouraging many more parents in his situation to give their kids, and numerous others, a chance to train and play the football in a safe and organised setting; Sandy's wife Joan forms a vital part of the club's child protection committee.

"The most important thing is the kids' enjoyment - you have to let them have a bit of fun," he says. "I do it for love of the game. When you see them on a Saturday morning, with a smile on their face, kicking a ball and enjoying it - that makes it all worthwhile. When you see their faces, it's different class."

Legend has it that in a South Edinburgh before Sandy, there were many more kids on street corners, far more X-boxes being powered up on a Saturday morning and a lot less interaction between young people outwith the confines of school.

Weekend training and fun matches for boys in their formative years is a movement he has inspired, and one that means when he is driving between jobs in his yellow van he can expect to her "hello Sandy" plenty of times as he passes the many people whose lives he has touched. "I've seen a lot of kids around here out on the streets doing things they shouldn't be, and the Soccer School takes them away from that and brings them together," he says.

"It also helps the parents, as a lot of kids are talking to other kids and to adults when perhaps otherwise they wouldn't be. The social side of it all is brilliant and it really brings the community together. Every new kid is greeted properly and they know it's all about looking and listening for one hour every week. Best of all, I thoroughly enjoy it."

Sandy continues to oversee the development of the fledgling youngsters as his club ushers in a new era with the construction of a clubhouse as part of a wider Inch Park development in a link with Edinburgh South Cricket Club and Lismore Rugby Football Club. This exciting new development will only enhance further the opportunities to bring to encourage future sporting talent. While Sandy can count among his alumni over the past five years boys who have gone on to join senior teams such as Falkirk and Hearts, he sees his coaching role as simply helping to develop a more rounded individual: "The aim is to encourage them to continue playing football and enjoy themselves, and I think we make them stronger people."