Aberdeen FC Community Trust’s award-winning programme for people with dementia was showcased this week at a European football conference in Norway.

Representatives of top clubs and their associated charities, including FC Barcelona Foundation, Chelsea FC Foundation, Aston Villa FC, PSV Eindhoven and Dynamo Zagreb, were invited to attend the European Football for Development Network (EFDN) event in Oslo.

Ally Prockter, AFCCT chief executive, and David Smith, senior community projects officer, spoke at the prestigious conference to highlight the success of the Trust’s Dementia Friendly Programme.

They outlined the beginnings of the idea, the intervention methods used and the significant impact working with dementia groups has had on participants as well as AFCCT and its partners, including Life Changes Trust, Alzheimer's Scotland, Aberdeen Sports Village, Sport Aberdeen and Aberdeen City Council Health and Wellbeing Team.

The scheme recently won the Best Community and Social Responsibility Programme Award at the European Club Association awards in Geneva, where the Trust was praised for its “innovative approach”.

With more than 100 people taking part each week, the Dementia Friendly Programme includes activities designed to increase mobility and social inclusion, as well as reducing isolation and anxieties for those living with the condition.

The initiative includes football memories sessions where ex-players present memorabilia to participants and talk about previous matches and experiences, as well as physical activities such as the popular walking football matches and TechnoGym classes.

The Trust also organises afternoon discos following feedback from participants who had concerns about a lack of opportunity or confidence to get out socially.

Ally Prockter, chief executive of AFCCT, said: “We were extremely honoured to be invited to speak at the annual EFDN conference and to have the opportunity to highlight our Dementia Friendly Programme in front of an audience of our colleagues from top football clubs across Europe.

“AFCCT is committed to listening to local people and meeting the needs of the community. As the number of people affected by dementia in the North-east of Scotland continues to rise, we try to provide support to these individuals and take away the stigma that they can’t lead an active and social life.

“Our staff, volunteers and partners work tirelessly to provide the very best workshops and activities for our participants, in spite of our very limited facilities at Pittodrie, and I am hugely proud that the commitment to supporting people in our community continues to be recognised at an international level.”

The EFDN conference was held on November 7-8 at Valerenga Fotball’s brand new stadium, with the theme of “Community and Social Responsibility in European Football”.

The conference was centred around the transformative role that football can play in changing lives for the better, focusing on a wide variety of projects, best practice models and new trends within community and social responsibility in European football.  

The EFDN provides guidance and support in community and social responsibility in European football matters, including stadium accessibility, environmentally friendly and sustainable business practices and the establishment of effective supporter management relations. The network currently consists of 40 football clubs, including Aberdeen.

Fit for purpose facilities to support the development of the charity are a key element of AFC’s plans to develop a £50million football and community sports hub at Kingsford, near Westhill.

If the plans are given the go-ahead, the first phase of development would see the construction of a dedicated community sports hub and professional training pitches with associated facilities. As well as providing a home for AFCCT, local community groups would be able to use and benefit from the facilities.

Aberdeen Football Club’s plans for the 25-hectare site at Kingsford, near Westhill, would see the construction of the largest new-build stadium in Scotland in 100 years and are seen as a critical step in AFC’s bid to achieve UEFA top 100 status.

For more information, visit afc.co.uk/Aurora and use #AllForAurora on social media.