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Dryburgh Athletic Complete ClubDundee Development Level
 
Dryburgh Athletic Football Club has completed Development Level of ClubDundee, the top level of Leisure & Culture Dundee's Club Accreditation & Development Programme.
 
The club, which has previously completed the SFA Quality Mark Scheme, has been fast-tracked through the ClubDundee programme as part of an agreement between the SFA East Region and Leisure & Culture Dundee's Sports Development Section.
 
The purpose of the ClubDundee programme is to ensure that sports clubs offer safe environments and provide opportunities for participants to develop and enjoy their chosen sport. The aims of the programme include working with clubs to increase membership numbers, increase the number and standard of coaches and secure external funding.
 
In addition to benefiting from professional officer support, Dryburgh Athletic will also be able to claim free places on coach education courses, secure preferential rates of SportDundee grant aid and apply for priority lets at selected schools.

 

 

Gavin Cruickshanks, a hockey umpire for Grove Menzieshill Hockey Club, has been selected to be part of Team GB for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF). This event will take place on 16-20th January 2013 in and around many of the venues which were used for the 2000 Olympic Games. 17 sports will be competing this time round.  Further information on the event can be found at http://corporate.olympics.com.au/games/ayof-2013

The hockey tournament will be run as a 4 nations event with the youths of GB, Australia, Malaysia, China, USA and Argentina competing in the men's and women's tournaments. Gavin has been selected to umpire the men's tournament which will consist of the Argentines, Malaysians, Australians and Great Britain. This will be his first major tournament in his bid to follow in the footsteps of fellow Dundee umpire Ged Curran who umpired the men's hockey final at London 2012. 

 
Gavin made the decision a few years ago to concentrate on umpiring and started with school matches and local games for Grove Menzieshill Hockey Club.  Gavin was selected to attend a Scottish Under 16 training weekend in Largs to umpire and progressed to national leagues matches.  2 seasons ago, Gavin stopped playing to concentrate fully on umpiring and it wasn't too long before he was selected for national league 2 and 1 games. Last season he committed to the indoor programme as well as the outdoor and this resulted in him becoming one of the regular national 1 umpires last season finishing the season well by umpiring the Scottish cup semi final between the two big Glasgow rivals, Kelburne and Western Wildcats.

Gavin was selected by the Scottish Umpiring Appointments Committee to attend one weekend of the Great Britain Super League, a small tournament for Great Britain's finest Under 23s to compete in. Gavin was told the event was a selection event for players, however, little did he know that there was the chance for one male and one female umpire to be jetting off to umpire in Sydney in January on the back of their performances at this event.

Gavin received information at the end of October that he had been selected to travel to Australia, a fantastic achievement!!  Gavin is very grateful to Scottish Hockey for the guidance he has received and to his suppotive employers for giving him the time to realise his ambitions.  Good luck Gavin!!