Forres Mechanics Youth Development encouraging players to train using technology
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THE town’s top football club is encouraging its younger players to keep their fitness up during the coronavirus lockdown.
Forres Mechanics Youth Development (FMYD) has customised and issued a powerpoint guide provided by the Scottish Football Association to families offering suggestions for activities and links to football skill and health and fitness ideas.
FMYD co-ordinator Dave McCartney confirmed the youth teams’ last games were played at the beginning of March.
He said: “The season would have run on until mid-April with postponed games to be played.
“There had been quite a few postponements with the wet weather shutting Forres pitches down repeatedly as none are synthetic.
“The lads and coaches were gutted at the SFA and SYFA announcements but understood the necessity.”
FMYD takes its responsibilities for the health and wellbeing of its players beyond football skills, working closely with local companies and individual providers to vary training as much as possible, taking account of mental as well as physical health.
Each of its three squads has had an introductory session to yoga this season and last season worked in the hydrotherapy pool on movement and resistance training. The town’s Life and Sole gym usually provide weekly sessions in the gym as well as individual exercise and activity programmes.
McCartney said: “We have been anxious that players and families are not left without support now that we can no longer get together for training, so we’ve provided the online resource.
“Coaches also contact families with suggestions for activity or links to helpful websites and programmes.”
Earlier this season, FMYD introduced all of its players to an online fitness and activity monitoring system which sets targets and records achievement while allowing coaches to see and comment.
“It has been a great success with players and parents,” said McCartney. “Such interactive systems are especially useful during this lockdown period.
“They are a spur to players and families with goals and a purpose. They also allow coaches to continue with something like the interaction they would have at group training.”
