Kids football team get their own sticker album

‘Got, got, got, need...’ are words often overheard in classrooms and playgrounds at the time of every major football tournament as kids huddle together to swap stickers and ‘shinies’ of their footballing idols for their Panini albums.

Some of the stars of Hutchison Vale

And now a following reserved for the likes of Messi and Ronaldo is coming to one amateur Edinburgh football club, Hutchison Vale, after it decided to celebrate its 80th birthday in style... by releasing a sticker album of all their players and coaches.

Darren Fletcher, Allan McGregor, Leigh Griffiths, Clair Emslie and Lizzie Arnot are just some of the notable Scottish international names that have come through ranks at the club in recent times.

But now is the time for the current squads under the Hutchie umbrella to shine – right the way from the tots through to the seniors.

Sean Jarvie, Hutchison Vale fundraising manager, contacted Alistair Pryde, who runs a company called Words & Pictures (W&P) that began to specialise in creating football album sticker books for amateur and grassroots clubs over five years ago.

A photo-shoot took place on Saturday involving around 300 players of all ages and sexes as well as the coaches from the various teams.

Mr Jarvie said: “The main reason for doing it is to increase the excitement of football and give them something to cherish and look back on. It could even be ‘look what I was part of and I am now a pro footballer’.

“A sticker album is also a way of bringing the kids back together and when they will be able to swap their doubles. We hope to have swap nights upon the albums release.

“The excitement is through the roof for the kids and I would advise any club who can take part in a venture like
this to snap off W&P hands.”

Tommy and Charlie, who represent the 2011 and 2012 boys between them said they are ‘absolutely delighted to be taking part.’

Charlie who plays for the 12’s, said: “I can’t wait to see my own sticker.” His brother Tommy said: “I am looking forward to swapping stickers with all my pals.”

U11’s girls player Isla Rew added: “I can’t wait to be on a sticker and I am so excited to swap them with my friends and teammates. I have told everyone at school about it as well.”

Mr Pryde said: “The kids absolutely love it. At the SGFA pathway clubs from the beginners to the seniors they enjoy it.

“Primary school kids just love every element of sticker books and the older kids like the celebrity of being in the album. But what we do is we put the young kids at the start and as you go through the teams get older and you get the seniors in the back – little kids look at the seniors as role models – and if we can persuade them to come to the swap nights for stickers then they get approached by young kids and get asked to sign the album. If you are a senior player and not an SPFL player you don’t often get asked for your autograph, so it is really special and brings a little bit of sticker magic to the older players as well.”

The album is believed to go on sale around September with an album costing around £10 and a pack of stickers 75p. For every sticker bought, W&P will donate 5p to the club. Mr Pryde believes he will soon be writing at least a four-figure cheque to the club.