Scotland (National Football)

After the disappointment wore off for many Ayr United supporters that a home match would need to be moved 75 minutes away to another venue due to no floodlights at Somerset Park, the cup tie provided many bright points for the 'Home' side that would have lit up the darkest of stadiums.

Rumours were abound over the past week with Paisley being touted as the chosen venue, then temporary floodlights were being spoken about before Morton's Cappielow stadium in Greenock was chosen as the place the tie would be played.After defeating Queen of the South in the last round of the newly named Ramsdens Cup, the writing was on the wall for the Somerset Park club that the fixture might need to be relocated after the draw was made with Ayr being the home side in the tie against Raith Rovers.

For the 250 or so fans that did make the journey, a display of superb football from a youthful Ayr United side was served up that all fans of the team can be proud of.

With Roberts, Burke, Trouten, Geggan and McGowan all starting from the bench, it gave opportunities to Roddy Paterson, Ross Robertson, Gareth Armstrong and Jonathan Tiffoney to let Brian Reid see that they all have what it takes to stake a claim for a regular starting spot. It also gave the watching fan's the chance to see that the Somerset boss's squad is maybe not as thin as it has been mooted by many.

The young stars in the Ayr side showed their swagger throughout the match with many nice passing moves being the order of the day with Tiffoney and Armstrong playing down the right together, Robertson's height and prowess through the middle and Paterson's speed and eye for goal up front.

These players were also marshaled by the older players around them giving a good mix of age and experience to quell any youthful exuberance overtaking the need for calm heads at times during the 90 minutes of play.

Opportunities were aplenty for both sides during this match and had it not been for an excellent goalkeeping display by Ayr keeper Kevin Cuthbert, the scoreline could have been so different as he made a handful of pointblank saves during the 90 minutes to keep a clean sheet.

It was Wardlaw that was first to test the Raith Rovers keeper McGurn with a stinging strike from 20 yards out but he managed to parry the ball before it was carried to safety by his defensive partners but the intentions were clear that Ayr's part time side were not going to be a push over against the full time team from Fife, that had pushed hard for promotion into the SPL last season.

Ayr's young guns were connecting well together with Tiffoney playing a four pass move with Paterson, Roberston and Armstrong that led to Paterson making a break on the left but his cross was blocked and the danger snuffed out but this was to start a series of interplay between these guys that makes it all the more significant for Ayr United as they look to the future.

Raith came close soon after with a glancing header from a corner with the resultant kick out nearly leading to Paterson latching on to a cross from a nippy Tiffoney who himself had received the ball from a neat head flick by R. Robertson, but the ball was just out of reach of the Maybole man but showed that route one football is still alive and well.

Tiffoney was a menace to the Raith midfield players as he twisted and turned his way around the area, being fouled with ruthless efficiency as they visitors tried to deal with him, but he kept playing balls through to the front men, creating chance after chance for his team mates to make an effort on goal in order to break the deadlock.

It was to be one of the young guns that would open the scoring.

Paterson connected with a through ball that found him sprinting into the danger zone, one on one with the out rushing goalie but swiftly swerved the ball past the stopper and into the net giving Ayr a 1-0 lead with only two minutes to the half time whistle.

Raith were not to let this goal get them down and came out all guns blazing in the second 45 minutes, making Ayr keeper Cuthbert work to earn his clean sheet bonus.

Within three minutes of the restart, Cuthbert had made one clearance from a close range header and watched as two others slithered over the bar much to the relief of all in the new Bodog sponsored Ayr shirts.

Ayr's central defensive pairing of Martyn Campbell and John Robertson were immense tonight, clearing up when possible and are silent assassins in the art of last minute challenges and interceptions; which proved helpful when Raith were clear through on goal in the 50th minute but Campbells long legs managed to block and clear the ball to safety before damage could be done by the attacker.

Campbell's height was also to prove a handful at the other end of the park as well as he managed to get a header on target from a corner on 61 minutes but from this save, Raith keeper McGurn nearly turned provided as he lofted the ball forward that was only intercepted by an alert Cuthbert on the edge of his own box as several Raith strikers bore down on him.

It was end to end stuff, sometimes pretty-sometimes not; but this was cup football at it's best and in all good stories strange things occasionally appear.

Steady and assured all night, Ayr goalie Cuthbert nearly gifted Raith an equalizer when his let the ball slip from his grasp after catching from a corner, but fortunately it caught all around him dozing as they all watched it trickle out for another corner.

Michael Moffat was next to attack for the Honest Men as he sped down the left hand side from well inside his own half, clearing three opposition players before unfortunately slipping in the box just before he was about to pull the trigger on goal but it was  be only a short time later that the second goal was to be scored for Ayr.

A cross into the box appeared to be missed by everyone but welcomed by the newly signed Ayr player James McKernan for a simple tap in from less than six yards out to make it 2-0.

Raith nearly pulled one back with a close range rising shot from only four feet out but the ever present Cuthbert was on hand to stop the ball and clear it out for a corner to once again save his side. From the resultant corner, Ayr were to nick the ball, break up field for Ross Robertson to score a simply sublime goal by chipping over the scrambling Raith keeper from at least 20 yards out to round off a great night for the Ayr players and fans.

Special mention has to go to young defender Gareth Armstrong who received a well deserved Man on the Match.

This was a great all round performance from the guys on show tonight against a team that came within a couple of matches of SPL football last season. The draw for the next round of the Ramsdens Cup takes place on Thursday 11th August.

Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for Bleacher Report as well as Not Just Scottish Football and youth development reporter for Ayr United Football Academy. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated.

Ayr United Strike Gold With Win in Ramsdens Cup

The SFA South West Regional Coach Development day took place at Ayr United Football Club's Somerset Park stadium on Sunday 31st July with over 100 participants attending to be briefed on new training techniques and the SFA’s vision of the future.

Coaches from all forms of teams from around the South West Region were invited to take part as updates for the SFA were shared and explained by the SFA development officers on hand.

Infrastructure

South West Regional Manager Ritchie Wilson updated the coaches on the regional plans that are being prepared for the future, as the current plan is nearing an end after nearly five years.

In the past year alone, over 1000 coaches have passed through the SFA coaching courses, and 61 teams have achieved the Quality Mark status with the SFA opening two Schools of Football in East Ayrshire and are hopeful that a third in South Ayrshire will be up and running in the near future.

 Scotland United, A 2020 Vision

“The Scottish FA leads the national game with integrity and innovation to breed a culture of Performance, Unity & Trust”

“Good is the Enemy of Great”

The SFA’s new vision for the future will be prepared and up and running by the year 2015 with targets being set for all levels of football including the national teams of all ages.

The 2020 vision has set out it’s bookmarks for the future including:

Strong Quality Growth

• More registered players
• Sustainable participation in our game
• One national plan for the recreational game
• More attractive modern game for all
• More talented young players

Perform and Win

• Scotland winning
• Higher standards
• Future team growth
• Home of great coaches
• Elite referees

The attendees were then shown new coaching skills by Aberdeen FC coach Jim Crawford with the help of 12 willing participants from the group of coaches being subjected to what at first appeared to be basic skills training. Easier on paper than in practice as the coaches found out, but they were soon side stepping, foot spinning, dragging and turning with relative ease.

Jim Crawford said: ”To be able to coach the children and players properly, it makes sense that the coaches involved know exactly how to do what they are trying to coach the kids involved.”

Carrying on he said: ”You have to be patient with the players, some will pick up certain skills faster than others but it’s about progression; Not against each other but against yourself. As long as the player him or her self shows regular improvement, that’s what you should be looking for.”

With the drills and 1v1 skills that Jim had shown, most coaches were picking up new ideas that they were willing to put into practice at the first instance within their own team.

The Scotland under 21 team manager was next up to give us an insight into the youth setup when the national sides gather for matches.

The ex Celtic, St Mirren and Scotland player coaches and manages all the lower age groups from the 15s through to 21s, and explained that the maximum amount of time he has with any age group would be 12 days due to club commitments.

“It used to be that when the senior squad played, the under 21s played their respective match against the same country but we now have tournaments in their own right. Budgets restrict anything longer than 12-day get togethers, but when tournaments are held now we generally have three games in a six day period so it can be quite tough on the players.” Billy said.

Carrying on he spoke about the get togethers: "It’s hard sometimes to get the players together for any length of time due to club matches and if we have a tournament where we are to play three matches in six days, it doesn’t give us much time to work with the players beforehand. It also makes it difficult to see which players will work well together as the players we have normally play against each other, not together, and all have different training and coaching regimes with their individual clubs.”

Billy Stark Practical Skills

Ayr United Football Academy under-17 team were called upon for the skills training session watched over and instructed by the National coach which saw the boys involved getting some valuable information and advice from a respected member of the coaching fraternity.

With the session being focused on building from the back and penetrating the opposition through to goal, Billy showed his aptitude for the role he currently holds by encouraging the young players whenever he could, building their confidence with every turn and pass completed.

Setting up in three teams of six initially, he worked them through a series of passing sequences, emphasising the need to build and incorporate supporting runs and penetrating passes.

Billy was keen to pass on his years of wisdom to the players on the pitch and the coaches watching, giving constant bullet points for coaches to hopefully use in their own training sessions.

• Use all of the space on the pitch
• Look for different passes other than the ordinary
• Support other team members
• Think of the next pass and be accurate
• Use your imagination when moving ie.overlaps

They then moved onto a 9v9 team setup within a designated area on the field with the aim of stating from the back and possession ball work rather than goal scoring to encourage good movement throughout. Next they moved onto a conditioned game but still within the designated area of the field. The aim of this was again building from the goalkeeper forward to opposition goal, but still with the emphasis of ball control, possession, movement and penetration.

A very informative and worthwhile exercise for all in attendance at Somerset Park with lots of new skills to learn and pass on to their respective teams. A lot of work goes into these development days by the SFA development team officers with lots of practical and informative knowledge being passed on with the aim of making Scottish Football progress in the right direction.

Thanks to AUFA and SFA South West Development coach Shaun Ferrie for helping to arrange this.

Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for Bleacher Report as well as Not Just Scottish Football and youth development reporter for Ayr United Football Academy. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated.

After leaving the blazing sunlight that had been splitting the sky over Somerset Park for the previous couple of days, Calvin Ayre and Bodog were to get no respite from flashing bright lights when they entered Ayr United's Ally McLeod hospitality suite on Monday evening just two hours prior to the big Manchester United match.

Heralded as the official launch of the new shirt release for the upcoming season 2011-12 for Ayr United, many fans of the club had been wishing for an announcement that Calvin Ayre would maybe be purchasing the club; After all, it's not every day that a billionaire businessman casually wanders onto the terraces at Somerset Park.

That speculation and wishful thinking was never to materialise from the press conference, but news that BODOG were hopeful of helping to build the brand of Ayr United in the Asian market through the current sponsorship deal was to be announced.

Ed Pownell Head of Bodog Global PR said:"If we gain a fraction of the Asia market, it will be great."

The PR Guru also spoke about the new promotions involving Ayr United saying:"We have released the new Second Team App on Facebook and have had a phenomenal response in a short time with over 1500 fans joining, most though have added Ayr as there first team but no harm there."

Ayr United Chairman was quite happy as normal to let someone else take the limelight but did add to Ed's enthusiasm of the move towards Asia saying:"The diverse nature of the Asia market coupled with Bodog's Internationally recognised brand, we should now see Ayr United start to move forward as a club."

The day however belonged to one man, Calvin Ayre.

The billionaire philanthropist has made a living from Gamblin' Drinkin' Partyin' and had plenty to say about the new union between the company he founded and the new football club they now sponsor.

"The support I have from Ayr United supporters through Facebook and my (calvinayre.com) website has been great and especially love your Somerset Boab youtube videos. We will be doing all we can to help with shirt sales and gather new business opportunities for the club by using our brand." he said.

Asked if he had won anything at the horse racing a couple of hours earlier where Bodog had sponsored a race he replied:"I left the races with nothing more than some sunburn which I wasn't expecting whilst in Scotland."

When pressed on the strip launch part of the conference he only had one thing to say:"Bring out the girls!" to which a bevvy of 'Ayreheads' strutted into the room wearing the new home and away strip. However in true Bodog and Calvin Ayre fashion, all was not as perceived at first glance as two of the young ladies involved had been body painted with the shirts and when noticed, the gathering photographers flashbulbs starting going into meltdown, indeed the paintwork itself may have started to melt should any more lights been shone their way.

It was a masterstroke of PR by the guys in charge of Bodog and if, at the very least, the photos of the girls make the press, the job will have been successful in reaching it's target market and audience.

After the furore had settled down over the girls, a champagne reception took place where I got the opportunity to talk to Calvin Ayre personally and asked him about the fans of Ayr United with him replying:"They have been great, especially on facebook where they seem to have flooded me with friend requests. At the races today I was quite surprised at how few fans approached for photos though and only took about 15 but I was equally taken aback by being asked for autographs which nearly never happens."

We also spoke about his liking for the Somerset Boab videos with Calvin saying:"Yeah I love them and when we added his youtube singing videos onto the Bodog betting site we didn't expect the targets to be hit but it didn't take long for them to reach the threshold for payout. We will be keeping in touch with Boab to hopefully extend his reach in the future."

Calvin seemed very down to earth and happy to discuss matters other than football with me as well, and this-I am sure-bodes well for Ayr United that he doesn't want to distance himself from the club or the supporters.

As the champagne reception edged to a close, I picked up my Bodog goody bag and left to go watch what was supposed to be the main event of the night, the Ayr United v Manchester United football match, but my lasting impression of the night will probably be much the same as many others that were present, and it began with the immortal words 'Bring out the girls'!

Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for Bleacher Report as well as Not Just Scottish Football and youth development reporter for Ayr United Football Academy. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated.

Ayr United Football Academy again showed its true worth to the senior Ayr United team Friday 27th May when two of its players stepped up to the plate to be signed on professional football contracts.

The 18-year-olds Dale Moore and Iain Fisher became the first signings of the summer for Ayr United after the pair put pen to paper in the Somerset Park boardroom on Friday afternoon.

Under the watchful eyes of both players’ fathers, Ayr United Head of Youth Davie White welcomed Iain and Dale to the full senior setup.

“Both players have served their apprenticeship,” said Davie, before adding, “the boys have had a long hard season, playing with the Academy 19′s, Ayr United Reserves and also at their respective loan clubs. This was a test for them this season and both have handled the pressure of it well and have now been rewarded accordingly.”

On speaking to the players themselves, they were enthralled and humbled by signing for the club that they support. Both Dale and Iain seemed glad that it they had actually signed as they were aware that several players had been released from the squad last week and had started to worry that their signing chances might have disappeared.

As the players have started their professional playing careers during the summer break, they now have a few weeks to allow the news to settle in before getting back to preseason training.

Dale said that he may “put his feet up for a few days before heading down the gym and starting his running and keeping up his fitness to prepare himself for the preseason”

Iain plans to celebrate with his father, stating: “Hopefully Dad will take us out for a meal tonight and we will have a couple of drinks. But I won’t go over the top … unless Dad is paying, that is!”

Both players were down to earth about the signing and have sensible attitudes, which is what will be required to allow them to progress. They were both quick to point out that it would be more difficult to get some playing time this season due to the promotion gained by Ayr United last week, but the challenge is one that they welcomed as it would make them better players.

We shall be watching closely as they progress through the season.

To view the full photo slideshow and video interviews click the link below.

Dale & Iain photo slideshow

Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for Bleacher Report as well as the Not Just Scottish Football reporter and youth development reporter for Ayr United Football Academy. All quotes are obtained first-hand unless otherwise stated.

So that's it, the Scottish Football League promotion chase is over and Ayr emerged victorious from Brechin's Glebe Park. But how they made the fans chew their nails off waiting for the winning goal!

 It was a black and white army invasion in little Brechin on Sunday, as an estimated 1,500 Ayr United supporters made their way on the three-hour journey by bus, by car, by aeroplane to watch the second leg of the Scottish Football Division One playoff final.

After an agonisingly late equalizer on Wednesday night at Somerset Park, the Ayr United faithful have the right to be on edge as they headed east. With everyone involved knowing that the season rested on this final 90 minutes, it was always going to be a tense affair.

The match on Wednesday had shown that Ayr were the better footballing side and had probably deserved the victory on the night—but it only takes one goal to alter a match and that's what happened that night as Brechin scored their only effort of the night.

Ayr United fans could only hope that current Brechin and ex-Ayr keeper Craig Nelson wouldn't be in as inspired a form as he was that night. That hope was to prove fruitless as Nelson provided three world-class saves to keep the Ayr side at bay at times.

Before the match had kicked off, the Ayr fans had packed into Brechin's ground, outnumbering the home support three to one, which was to prove an immense help to the players on the pitch.

The first half swayed back and forth with the wind swirling around the stadium playing havoc with the high balls. Not since the "Pepe Reina beach ball" goal have I seen a ball move about as much as it was intended but both teams failed to stamp their authority on the match.

Veteran Ayr defender Jim Lauchlan was to be injured in the first half and his replacement, Jonathan Tiffoney, was to have a huge impact in the match.

Close to the end of the first half, young Tiff played a back pass towards Martin in goal only for both to watch as the ball rolled into the net to give Brechin an unexpected lead. There was a stunned silence from the massive travelling support and manager Brian Reid said afterwards that he "...was speechless..." as he watched it go in.

The second half started with Ayr on the attack but as yet in the match, neither keeper had been tested.

Brechin keeper Nelson was soon to pull of three world-class saves to keep his team in it and also fired a warning to Ayr that this may not be their day.

A shot from Scott McLaughlin was to be fantastically saved with a superb diving save knocking it onto the crossbar which dumbfounded everyone in black and white and followed this up with a tremendous double save that had some quarters of the press announcing a goal had been scored. The saves were out of this world but Ayr kept pummeling the home team's penalty area in search of the equalizing goal.

In 75 minutes, a moment of controversy occurred on the far sideline as Brechin's Rory McAllister—who had won a free kick—appeared to throw a punch at Ayr's Tiffoney whilst on the ground. It looked like a direct red card would be issued but the ref only produced a yellow, much to the bemusement and anger of the Ayr United supporters.

However, this was only to spur Ayr forward and less than 90 seconds later, Ayr top scorer and club captain Mark Roberts had the ball in the back of the net after receiving a pass from on-fire strike partner Michael Moffat, much to the relief of the pitch-invading Ayr supporters who swamped Roberts as he celebrated.

The tension had been relieved and the resurgent Ayr looked like the only team capable of winning at this point.

The fans played their part by singing their hearts out for the remainder of the match and the biggest roar of the day yet emerged when Ayr won the next corner in front of the black and white army.

The icing was set just three minutes from the end when Roberts played Moffat into the box and with plenty still to do, fired under Nelson in goal, to give his side the winning goal and like the Roberts goal before this, found himself under a large pile of Ayr supporters who couldn't contain themselves as the joy and passion for their club overflowed onto the pitch.

It was a truly memorable experience for the 26-year-old Moffat, signed from local junior side Girvan in the last January transfer window and has became a local hero with his on-field play.

The match was taken to an agonising four minutes of added time but at the final whistle, the emotion of it all was released by the fans, players and backroom staff combined as a mass pitch invasion ensued, with hundreds of fans surrounding the players who were celebrating on the pitch.

Tears were spilt on this day by many a grown man, woman and child and as the mass ranks of Ayr United supporters cheered and applauded the players as they returned to the field, the relief was clear for everyone to see and feel.

This was another celebratory day to remember for Ayr United; we might not have won the league but promotion was won and for now, that will do.

Marc Roseblade is a Contributor for Bleacher Report as well as a Scottish football reporter and youth development reporter for Ayr United Football Academy. Brian Reid quotes were obtained first-hand from the manager after the match.

Ayr United 'On Fire' Strikers Win Promotion

Ayr progressed through to the First Division Playoff final after an interesting match today at Somerset Park that ended 3-3 giving Ayr a 7-4 aggregate win.

by Marc Roseblade



After the midweek 4-1 away victory, this match was always going to be an anti-climax as the fans stayed away in droves expecting that the home side had already made the final. With both Manchester sides in action on TV, the fans believed that the first leg result was sufficient to stay at home and watch the English Premiership and FA Cup being won.

What the stay-away fans didn't expect was a six-goal thriller that culminated in two injury-time penalties at the end.

Ayr had taken an early lead through Michael Moffat before losing a goal on the half-hour mark completely against the run of play to make the aggregate score 5-2 for the Ayrshire side.

Ayr midfielder Scott McLaughlin added a second goal two minutes into the second half, giving the home fans that the tie would be put to bed, but in true Ayr United style, the fans were put through the wringer when Forfar equalized again on 55 minutes.

Although there were still three goals of an advantage for the Honest Men, the fans have been here before, just wishing that the game would end before a capitulation occurred.

The match was flowing from end to end with chances being made and lost without anyone stamping their authority on the match. Ayr talisman Mark Roberts was also playing a bit part again, and on 65 minutes, was substituted for youngster and ex-Academy player Ross Robertson.

Robertson was making some headway up front for the home side, putting in a couple of crosses and using his strength to force the defence into mistakes, but for all his play, the scoreline stayed the same.

However, Forfar were to turn the screw on Ayr when they won a penalty in the 90th minute after Martyn Campbell was adjudged to have pulled down Chris Templeman with the resulting penalty being fired home to give the visitors a 3-2 lead giving them the slimmest of hopes of a late, late comeback.

The comeback never materialised though and Ayr themselves won a penalty in the 93rd minute of play that was slotted home by Alan Trouten to finish the match in a 3-3 draw.

The overall aggregate ended 7-4 in favour of Ayr United, and they now look forward to a two-legged affair in the playoff final against Brechin City who defeated Cowdenbeath 2-0 today and 4-2 on aggregate.

The first leg of the final takes place on Wednesday night at Somerset Park, 7.45pm kick off; return leg is Sunday 22nd at Glebe Park, 3pm ko.

Previous meetings between the two have ended with:
1-0 loss for Ayr 7th May at Glebe Park
3-0 win for Ayr 12th April at Glebe Park
2-0 win for Ayr 26th February at Somerset Park
2-0 loss for Ayr 7th August at Somerset Park

Two wins apiece so far this season although Ayr have scored more goals in the four ties together. Let the nail biting begin!

Ayr United Reach Playoff Final After 6 Goal Somerset Park Tussle

Mark Shankland, Ayr United History Maker

Saturday saw a historic day for Ayr United, Ayr United Football Academy and one young man in particular.

AUFA under 16’s striker Mark Shankland, who has attracted interest from several top flight senior teams recently, became the youngest signed Ayr United player ever to take to the field for the senior squad.

With a birth date of 11/7/95, the appearance made the player 15 years and 300 days old, a day never to be forgotten by the player or his watching family. The closest rival he has to this title was Stewart Kean who made his debut when 17 years and 56 days old.

There has been some speculation that back in March 1953, Sam McMillan made his debut whilst younger (15 years 212 days old) than Mark but on closer inspection, it seems that McMillan played a one off game as a trialist under the guise of a pseudonym, Newman, but didn’t actually sign for the club until two years later. So, as the record books stand, Mark Shankland holds the title as youngest ever signed player to play for Ayr United.

As well as young Mark, other stars from the Football Academy have also been forcing their way into the team more often of late with Roddy Paterson having made the field in the previous two matches and on Saturday Gareth Armstrong also made his debut rounding off a great season for the Academy in terms of first team appearances.

Robbie Crawford, Sean Kelly, Cammy Marlow, Daryl Jones, Dale Moore have all also been chapping at the door looking for some playing time in the first team making the future look bright for the team and showing the potential that the Football Academy is producing.

Saturday, though, belonged to Mark Shankland. He looks to have a great future ahead of him. Well done young man, well done.


View images of Mark in action here.

This could the beginning of a beautiful relationship between the pair.

Calvin Ayre, the flamboyant founder of the world's largest on line betting brand, Bodog and financially-strapped Ayr United are not normally two names you would associate together. But the self-named megalomaniac is prone to taking risks. He did, after all, purchase Slots.com last year in an online auction whilst sitting at a bar in London.

Ayr United may not be in the same league as him financially, but they do have one thing in common: their name.

Calvin's name Ayre originates from the town of Ayr when it was actually spelt that way—Ayre. His ancestors obviously moved abroad at some stage, and the multi-millionaire couldn't resist the lure of San Somerset when looking for his next big venture.

Ayre stated, "When I heard that the club was looking for a sponsor, I knew I was going to make an offer, but the fact that the colours are also the same as the Bodog brand colours sealed it.

I won't pretend I know the area well, but with a fondness for a drink and, in particular, Cabrach and Hendrick's Gin, barely a day goes by without me toasting the local economy in some way. When I heard about this I just couldn't resist, and I hope that, between the Bodog brand and myself, we can bring some more good times to Ayr United. We have plans to really get behind the team, not just hand over a cheque, and I am looking forward to paying a visit this summer and raising a glass to The Honest Men."

Hugh Cameron, Commercial Director Ayr United, added, "Ayr United are thrilled to unveil Bodog as our main sponsor for next season and look forward to building a successful partnership with Calvin and the Bodog brand. Although, clearly we will now have to review the choice of spirits we offer our guests in the boardroom.

It's great news for everyone connected with Ayr United to have attracted a global brand like Bodog to our club and to the Scottish football league. The substantial financial agreement we secured was, of course, very welcome. But we were also aware from our negotiations with the company that we were signing an agreement with a business that has people with a real desire and intention to engage with the club, our supporters and the wider community, and I'm sure in time this will become apparent."

FirstPointUSA.com and Ayr United Football Academy are pleased to announce that they have agreed to extend their partnership which offers Academy players an opportunity to pursue college scholarships in the United States.

The relationship came about as a result of the Academy recognising that only a small percentage of its young players are likely to be offered a professional contract with Ayr United Football Club and from its desire to ensure that its players have an opportunity to continue to pursue their career in football.

The FirstpointUSA.com scholarship program offers an extremely attractive alternative career path that allows talented footballers the exclusive opportunity to pursue simultaneously their academic and sporting ambitions.

FirstPoint USA are the World’s Number 1 in American Sports Scholarships. Since 2001, they have placed over 3500 athletes on scholarship and brokered over $100 million in scholarship deals on their behalf.

Chief Executive and FirstPointUSA founder Andrew Kean, himself a former student athlete at the University of Cincinnati where he was recently inducted into the hall of fame is excited at the prospect of working with the AUFA,

“I very much look forward to working with some of the current crop of players at the Ayr United Academy and showing them that there is life after Academy football. In pursuing an American Scholarship some of these players will be continuing their football development in the USA, and furthering their prospects by earning a recognised degree.”

Anyone wishing to find out more about FirstPointUSA, or American Sports Scholarships can do so online at: www.firstpointusa.com.

Source http://www.aufa.org.uk/2010/12/firstpoint-usa-partnership-extended/