Sunday Mail Award


OBAN SAINTS FOOTBALL CLUB
WINNERS OF THE 'LOCAL CLUB OF THE YEAR AWARD 2009'
Congratulations to everyone at the club - players, coaches and volunteers for all your help in winning the coveted Sunday Mail and Sportscotland 'Local Club of
 the Year Award 2009' 

 


 Club representatives Iain Alexander, Iain Jackson, David Buchanan and Thomas Sharp with the coveted trophy.
Photographs by David McNie, Sunday Mail


 Club secretary David Buchanan is presented with the first ever Local Club of the Year award by sportscotland chief executive Stewart Harris and Minister for Public Health and Sport Shona Robison.


 Stewart Harris, Shona Robison and David Buchanan after the presentation ceremony


 Presenter Ali Douglas has a word with David Buchanan. Iain Jackson and Thomas Sharp see the joke, but Iain Alexander cringes in the background.

OBAN SAINTS Football Club have won the coveted Local Club of the Year award sponsored by the Sunday Mail and sportscotland. 
   Representatives of Oban Saints - David Buchanan, Iain Jackson, Iain Alexander and Thomas Sharp attended a black tie awards ceremony held in the Hilton Hotel, Glasgow, on Thursday 3rd December, 2009, hosted by Stephen Jardine and Ali Douglas.
   The Saints representatives were in top class company with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Catriona Matthew, John Higgins, Dario Franchitti and Andy Murray all vying for the Sports Personality of the Year Award. Catriona Matthew won this category.
    Another highlight of the evening was when Colin Montgomerie received  the Lifetime Achievement Award from Celtic, Liverpool and Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish.
   The boys met up with old friends, Bolton manager Owen Coyle and Hamilton gaffer Billy Reid who have both taken part in the annual Keyline Cup Tournament run by the club.
   Club secretary David Buchanan said that Saints were delighted to have been nominated for such a prestigious award by the Scottish Football Association and to win it was very special. It was a reward for everybody at the club for all the hard work they've put in over the years.
  Highlights of the awards ceremony were screened by Scottish Television on Sunday 6th December.
   As part of the awards procedure the club were filmed by a television crew at a training session recently. David said: 'We only had a couple of hours to get things organised as all our teams train on different nights of the week, but in the end we managed to get a good turnout from our senior, youths and ladies teams to turn up and put on a training session for the cameras.
   'The STV crew were there for over an hour filming the training session in the howling wind and almost horizontal rain. They were impressed with the turnout in such abysmal conditions. We also did a couple of interviews, which obviously did enough to bring the award back to not only the club, and Oban but to the whole of Argyll and Bute'.


 Some of the Oban Saints players and coaches who turned up on a horrendous night of wind and rain to put on a training session for the television camera. Photographs: Peter Darling


 Club secretary David Buchanan and manager Iain Jackson both gave interviews to the television crew.


 Reporter Ian Crawford and camerman Paul Russell brave the elements at the training session.


 Oban Saints manager Iain Jackson gives an interview to Ian Crawford.


 The players do some passing drills.


Coaches Peter and Keith MacCallum put the players through a tough session


Warming up.


 Some stretching exercises.


 Manager Iain Jackson keeps an eye on things


 Some of the youngsters were put through their paces by coaches Iain Alexander and Thomas Sharp


 The youngsters give first team keeper Graham Douglas a good workout


 The Saints ladies team were put through their paces by coach Chris Picken.