A group of pals who set up their own football team during the pandemic to keep fit have raised more than £2,000 by taking part in Movember.
The 31 men, who are all aged between 28 and 31, decided to start up the new team - called Dinamo Paisley FC - in a bid to keep active and stay in touch with each other while coronavirus restrictions were in place.
They began weekly training at Seedhill Playing Fields and Barshaw Park, and even managed to secure some friendly matches since forming in July.
However, when further covid restrictions meant they could no longer meet and train together, they decided to take part in the popular Movember challenge to help keep them motivated.
Their efforts saw them raise an impressive £2,180 for the charity, which encourages men to grow a moustache throughout November to help raise money for men’s health, suicide prevention, prostate and testicular cancer.
Team manager, Connor Finnell, 28, said they guys were delighted to be able to do their bit for charity.
He said: “We were very aware that as a newly formed team, we were at risk of all falling away from the commitment due to the restrictions preventing us from training and playing
matches.
“So we decided that we should all take part in Movember to encourage us to all keep in touch with each other and stay motivated.
“We wanted to meet up and form a team to help us keep fit and also to keep our mental health in check as this year has been tough on everyone.
“So we were really pleased to have raised as much as we did as it is a really important charity which has a big focus on men’s mental health.”
All the players, coaches and management - who are all from Paisley - are now looking forward to getting back on the pitch and playing together as soon as they can.
They are hopeful to kick off their first official season as a team when the 2021/22 leagues begin next year.
Connor added: “It’s something I think we all took for granted
before.
“We have all been friends for a number of years, with a lot of us meeting at school, and thankfully we all just happen to be good at football.
“So it was great to be able to meet and all exercise together when we weren’t able to do anything else.
“We hope that we will be able to get everything back up and running again in time for the new season starting next year.”
