That professional football is returning to Scotland to fill the sports drought is a cause for great cheer but it seems that it might be half-hearted applause for the return of youth football on Monday.
The Scottish Government has given the go-ahead for youth football to restart but without pitches to kick a ball on, many teenagers will be left disappointed.
It is up to local councils to manage how their facilities come out of lockdown and one of the biggest, Glasgow City, won’t be playing ball on opening up its pitches until mid-August.
That’s going to leave a lot of kids and their trainers chewing the astroturf.
Participating in sport isn’t just good for your physical health, it is a great stress-buster too and a proven aid to mental health.
After months of lockdown, kids deserve a kickabout and with months to prepare for the day, councils across Scotland should pass the ball up the pitch and accelerate their plans to open up sports facilities as quickly – and safely of course – as possible.
Don’t let events ruin the capital
Don’t let events ruin the capital Edinburgh’s Christmas market is a popular event for locals and tourists from across the world.
More than 2.6million people visited the event run by Underbelly over seven weeks.
But more than £150,000 was needed to fix Princes Street Gardens after the market turned it into a mud bath.
The damage meant the iconic site only reopened to the public a few weeks ago.
Tourism is a lucrative industry for the capital but the people who live in the city should not be inconvenienced by large events.
Consideration needs to be given to the future of the Christmas market if this is the cost and the effect it has on the city’s natural assets.
Hard-pressed
Hard-pressed Britain’s under-25s are a dab hand when it comes to setting up a Twitter account or an iPhone.
But half don’t know how to use a washing machine or iron a shirt.
Let’s hope the digital generation can give their parents a break by brushing up on essential life skills.
