THEY'VE hit plenty of them on the pitch but a West Fife football club have shown they are also winners off it with support for their community.

Bayside FC, which has a membership of more than 400, have donated £500 to an initiative involving several businesses – including Lóuie Brown's in Dalgety Bay – to provide free meals for people most in need.

The executive committee of the club, which is a registered charity, decided it wanted to do what it could to help during the coronavirus outbreak, having donated previously to Dalgety Bay and Hillend Gala, and Cancer Research UK Relay for Life.

Their fund has been boosted further by £100 from the Bayside Girls' under-nine Flames team from their own fundraising endeavours, while the club will stop its players' monthly subscriptions from the end of this month to further help families.

Stuart Morrison, Bayside chairman, explained: "We usually support the Dalgety Bay Gala and Cancer Research but, with that being cancelled, the executive committee decided that we would support Lóuie Brown's. It was a no-brainer for us being a community club.

"Some of our coaches are volunteering to work doing deliveries as well and we always think about what we can do as a club.

"One of our younger age groups, the under-nine girls, are donating £100 from their own fundraising balance, and over the next three or four days we might see more individual teams within the club donating money as well.

"We always look to do two or three donations a year. Even though we're a registered charity ourselves, we still feel like we should try to help the community.

"We've frozen subs to the club after this month as well to try and help parents, even though there are some outlays that we have.

"It's been a tough month but we're definitely moving in the right direction."

It's not the first time that Bayside footballers have shown their charitable side.

Four years ago, their all-conquering Bayside Girls' 13s team, who won the league and Scottish Cup double, pledged £1,500 they had raised for an end-of-season trip to help Rosyth youngster Emily Grant buy a specialist 'RaceRunning' bike after reading her story in the Press.

Stuart added: "It's not just about the football; it's about the friendships you make, and we try to instil that in the kids."

The initiative will see Lóuie Brown's work with Raith Fruit and Flowers, butcher Watson's of Leven, Graham's Family Dairy and Bidfood to provide free homemade soup, stovies, mince and tatties, and bread and milk when available, for the elderly and vulnerable.

Collections are available from Lóuie Brown's between 12-5pm, and for details of free delivery, and more information, visit their Facebook page.

Bayside operate teams across 15 age groups, from mini-kickers to amateur and senior ladies' level, and for more information, find them on Facebook.

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper every week.

Trusted news has never been so important, and neither has your support.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you to help us provide you with trusted news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

We’re out each week even if you can’t be and so you can also have a replica e-edition of the Press on your PC, phone or tablet ready to read whenever you want. Just click the ‘E-Edition’ tab under the Press masthead on the homepage of this website.

Thank you,

Simon Harris, Editor