THE final whistle has blown on the Fife Soccer 7s for another year and its chairman says he can only see "good times ahead".

Around 1,700 youngsters had a muddy good time on the final Sunday of the winter season last month.

Medals and fair play awards were handed out to players as reward for taking part in the Soccer 7s, which has been held at Pitreavie between March and October annually since its establishment in 1997.

It is organised by the Fife Soccer Sevens Development Association (FSSDA), overseen by Andi Campbell, and it has grown from starting out with 30 teams to having 170 playing this year.

He has been thrilled with its progress – the number of teams has again increased in the last 12 months – and, speaking to Press Sport, he commented: "It's been a brilliant year.

"Even though the start of the season was hit by the snow, our numbers are up both participation-wise and team-wise. The Soccer 7s keeps getting bigger and better and we'll keep going.

"There are good times ahead.

"We started with 30 teams but we're finishing this season with 170-odd, and that equates to 1,700 bairns playing football on a Saturday and Sunday, which is great.

"We're a non-profit organisation and are all volunteers but we can never rest on our laurels. We want to keep building."

He continued: "A lot of kids that have come through have gone on to play pro youth but then you've got the other side, where you have kids who just want to play.

"It's about progression and we manage both types. I think we do it brilliantly down at Pitreavie and all the teams buy into it.

"There's a competitive edge to it, and I think you need that, and it's great to see them striving to improve.

"It's been another great season and I hope all the players enjoyed it."