Talented kids help Polbeth celebrate 40 years of glory
Aug 20 2009 by Eric MacKinnon, West Lothian Courier
FOUR decades of footballing fun and glory at Polbeth United werecelebrated recently at a special soccer festival.
Teams from across West Lothian came to Polbeth to help the talent-packed side, who boast a phenomenal five Scottish Youth Cups on their trophy sideboard, on Saturday and Sunday, August 8 and 9.
In addition to celebrating 40 years of the club, the weekend was a double celebration as the club also showcased – and opened – a brand new pavilion.
Sixteen teams took part in the free event on both days, with the first day for under-nine and under -11 sides and Sunday was for under -10 and under-12s.
The opening whistle blew on the fun-filled, yet competitive, weekend with the official opening of the pavilion.
The honour of opening the new facility went to a special guest steeped in the history of Polbeth United, Alan Fairley, who is the son of one of the founding members of the club.
Also on hand to help Alan out were a handful of former presidents and coaches who were part of the club during the past four decades.
Joining the celebrations were Jim Grant from the SFA, Jack Brown from West Lothian Soccer Sevens (WLSS), Iain Shaw from West Lothian Association of Youth Football Clubs (WLAYFC) and Derek Jamieson from Livingston FC.
During breaks in play, the youngsters were entertained and enthralled by the ball-juggling genius of Keepy-Uppy King Graham Lightbody.
Graham, who is a half-time regular at Livingston FC’s Almondvale Stadium on match days, is an unofficial world-record holder, with 61,500 keepy-up’s over a staggering six-and-a-half hours without the ball hitting the floor.
There was also a penalty shoot-out for all the players.
There were no winners or losers at the festival, where all players received a medal with the club’s name and age inscribed.
However, there was an award for the team of the day, which the committee presented to Craigshill Pinks under-11s (Saturday) and to Whitburn under-10s (Sunday).
These awards were not based on results but on the friendliness and attitude of the players, watching parents and coaches.
The committee would like to thank everyone involved for all the hard work that they put in to make the tournament such a success. It is now hoped the football festival become an annual event in Polbeth.
Polbeth are one of West Lothian’s premier youth football clubs and have been working since 1969 to help youngsters set out on the road to soccer stardom.
They were founded by Tom Hamilton, Tom Fairley and Tom Hope and within five years had clinched their first Scottish Youth Cup — at under-15 level.
Polbeth retained the trophy the following year and completed a hat-trick of Scottish Cup silverware in 1983, when the under-13s brought the trophy home.
In 1985, the under-16s got in on the act before the under -18s took glory in 2000.
In addition to the national honours, a host of former Polbeth graduates have gone on to enjoy a top-flight career in the game, including Andy Seaton, Dougie Robertson, Barry Moffat, Mark Yardley, David Eardley, Kevin McGhee, Gareth Williams, Kenny Thomas and Neil McCabe.
Forty years on and the club remain focused on the development of young players and presently have approximately 250 members, while there are plans afoot for the club to increase by 14 teams next season.
The club are accredited with the SFA Quality Mark Standard Award and they hope to add to their bow full Development Status, which they hope to have by the end of the calendar year.
Polbeth are currently recruiting players for all age groups, but they are especially keen for girls team to get in touch.