Andrew Boyle

Andy is a 20 year old man who is currently studying to be a doctor. What makes him special is the fact that he is combining these studies with running a football team for 7 year old kids. The team is called Lenzie Youth Club and although the club has been going for 30 years and has an enviable record of bringing players through to play football to a high level, it was becoming increasingly difficult to find volunteers to run the junior teams and there was a danger that my son`s age group were not going to be able to form a team until Andy stepped in. His role involves coaching the boys 2 nights a week, weekend games, organising fixtures and buying equipment. He always does this with a smile on his face and is always available to offer advice on nutrition and training for his young players - as a parent, I can see how much the children enjoy sport thanks to his enthusiasm. He is always encouraging them and teaching them that enjoyment and developing their skills are more important at their age than winning. Like most parts of Britain, we are not blessed with a decent sports curriculum at the local schools and his efforts in introducing kids to football has been a real inspiration to both the children and parents alike. My son is not the most demonstrative of children but the smile that crosses his face when he talks about Andy and about football is worth 1000 words to me. Being selected as a torch bearer would be a fitting reward for this excellent role model.