A WEST FIFE football club has been on the ball in supporting its community by netting two charities a £1,000 boost.

The committee at Duloch Juniors FC, which has around 300 members, has donated £500 each to Dunfermline Foodbank and Hourglass Scotland – and those figures could be set to rise further.

In addition to monetary donations, the club has been providing donations of food for both causes, who are helping to provide essentials for the most vulnerable across the community.

Hourglass Scotland, whose aim is to end the abuse, harm and exploitation of older people, paid tribute to the "community spirit" in the town, and last week gave Duloch Juniors special thanks for their "generous donations of food" that helped ensure around 50 older people received food and other essentials.

Speaking to Press Sport, chairman Craig Park, who also revealed that they had halved monthly subscriptions for its members, said: "Myself, the treasurer and the vice-chairman spoke, and decided that we could spare £1,000 from our current budget to help local good causes.

"We've given Hourglass Scotland and Dunfermline Foodbank £500 each. By next week, we'll have spent about £700-£800, from our own money and a couple of bits of our own fundraising, like through doing football scratchcards.

"We'll drip-feed donations to the foodbank over the next four or five weeks. We're a charity ourselves at the end of the day and have got to remember that we're supported by businesses through sponsorship.

"It's good to give something back."

The club, whose committee also intend to donate time to the foodbank by volunteering to deliver parcels, undertake admin work or stock-taking, have paid – in advance – with Box Soccer to operate sessions when football does return.

That has been cancelled until June 10 – at least – but, when they are back on the pitch, they are also set to team up with Pars goalkeeper Cammy Gill for weekly coaching sessions, which they had explored prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

"We're part of Dunfermline and want to be an inclusive club," Craig continued.

"We're trying to portray that and want to the best for the community. I think it's the least we can do."

While focusing on helping those most at risk because of the coronavirus pandemic, Craig admits he is missing the football – and the chance to take one of Duloch's teams to a cup final.

"My under-17 team have been doing well," he added.

"We are in the regional cup semi-final, Fife Cup quarter-final and the League Cup final. The regional cup is the big one, as it includes the whole of the east region, up to the likes of Forfar and Arbroath.

"In 10 years as a coach, it (the League Cup) would have been my first final but the carpet has been pulled from beneath us. I really feel for our 2005s as well; they were due to go to Barcelona and had raised a lot of money over 18 months but obviously that has been cancelled. We're unsure what will happen going forward.

"It's a bit of a blow but everybody is in the same boat."