RANGERS star DaMarcus Beasley is backing Ultimate Soccer in their fight to give kids a better future through sport.

Ultimate Soccer, with the aid of Glasgow Community Safety Services (GCSS) recently held a football tournament for 12-18-year-olds at Lesser Hampden Stadium, where kids from the company’s street soccer sessions got the chance to play in-front of coaches and scouts from SPL and youth teams around Scotland.

For the past year, Ultimate Soccer have been working with teens in street sessions in fifteen high crime areas, including Castlemilk, Drumchapel and the Govanhill area of Glasgow. The sessions, which have reduced street crime by as much as 55 per cent in some areas, teach kids the positives of sport and help steer them away from crime and anti- social behaviour by giving them the chance to do something positive instead of the usual street behaviour they have fallen into.

DaMarcus knows how important it is to be given a chance and that’s why he given his support to them, saying: “I think that it’s great that Ultimate Soccer are tying to do something to help kids stay off the street and for that I’m definitely behind what they are trying to achieve.”

He added: “There are so many temptations for young kids nowadays and it’s really hard for them to choose right from wrong, especially when surrounded by other kids who are pressuring them in the wrong way.
“That’s why it’s so important what Ultimate Soccer are doing.
“They’re offering kids a chance to step away from trouble for a while and see that there are other things out there.”

Drew Wilson, Football Development Officer for Ultimate Soccer, says it’s great to have someone of Beasley’s stature backing the company’s cause and hopes the kids he works with can use the Rangers midfielder as inspiration for themselves.

He said: “Some of these kids know nothing more than smoking, drinking and fighting with rival gangs but that was forgotten on the day and was replaced with team work and respect.”

“The day was a great success - several of our boys have been asked to go for tryouts with Aberdeen and Dundee United amongst others.”

He added: “This was the first of many tournaments, we aim to make this an annual thing and in the meantime we will continue to work with the kids to give them a better start in life.”

For more information on Ultimate Soccer visit www.ultimatesoccer.co.uk