Official annual charts success of football school established by former Inverness Caledonian, Ross County and Falkirk player Mark Holmes
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A former footballer wanted to create something his players could look back on during their time at his sporting academy.
And so the Mark Holmes Football Academy Official Annual documents the success of the school since it was established five years ago.
The academy, which started in 2017, currently trains 1200 kids aged between 3-14 in the Highlands and aged between 3-19 in Ghana.
They have given children the skills at an early age to go on to be placed into professional clubs, semi-professional clubs, and their school teams.
The football academy also has 35 coaches based in Scotland as well as in Kumasi, Ghana.
Due to the success of the academy Holmes, who played for Inverness Caley Thistle, Ross County and Falkirk before a car accident put an end to his football playing career aged 26, wanted to publish an annual which everyone who has been part of the academy journey so far could look back on with pride in years to come.
“I thought it would be nice to create something for the kids to have a memoir as they get older,” he said.
“It is something to look back at on the journey they have been on at the academy.
“But it is also good to have as a journal for my own academy too.
“The journal goes back to when the academy was established five years ago.
“A lot of the kids who have come through the academy have gone on to Ross County, Caley Thistle Aberdeen, Clachnacuddin, Nairn County and Forres Mechanics.
“It has been a good response in the Highlands from people, the support to the academy has been incredible and it has gone from strength to strength.
“We have just under 1200 players at my football academy, they have all been incredible and they are the heartbeat of what we are doing.”
As well as running sessions in Inverness, Beauly and Aviemore, a major milestone came for Holmes when he opened an academy in Ghana in 2017.
It provides accommodation and training for football players and Mr Holmes says it is attracting a lot of international attention.
“As well as in the Highlands, the annual is showing the things that are happening in Africa and what is taking place behind the scenes,” he said.
“It shows what is happening with young players over there, and at present there is one player who is hopefully moving to a club in Finland.
“Hopefully that will open the door to other players at the academy in Ghana.”
