Derek King – the inspiring heartbeat of Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise

Yesterday, Kyle Sharkie, a member of the SFU’s Ops team, and I went to Cumnock to meet Derek King, Head of Community programmes for Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise(CJCE) and a Community Councillor for that town and a driving force behind so much sporting activity in the area.

Derek gave us several hours of his time at CJCE’s Townhead ground, showing us around and explaining at length the huge amount of work that he and others do to help keep the townspeople engaged with sport and with each other.  It was genuinely inspiring, not to say amazing, just how much they all do.

A founder member of Cumnock Juniors Youth FC, Derek has held every committee position over the past 33 years and served as a youth coach for three decades (1993–2023). He was Match Secretary for the West of Scotland YFL from 1998-2025 – now the Ayrshire YFL –, and was appointed a Director of the Scottish Youth FA in June 2024.

In addition, Derek is the South West Region Representative for Walking Football Scotland and also currently organises four club teams across the Over 50s, 60s, 65s and 70s age groups.Derek has, it’s fair to say, a vast amount of experience in the game. But it’s how he applies that knowledge and the hours he puts in that make him such a key individual in the Ayrshire football community. He explained that CJCE has a number of key areas in which it works to help the local area. These include:

Inclusion – where everyone, female and male, able-bodied or with visible or non-visible disabilities, is welcome and football is available from the age of two to the age of 80+.

Health and wellbeing – encompassing physical, mental, heart and social health.  Walking football in particular is great for those who have lost a partner or are otherwise at a loss during the week.  It tackles Social Isolation while supporting physical, social and mental wellbeing. Players travel from across Ayrshire and the camaraderie and banter is so good they have people who come from Dumfries who are the first in the dressing room and the last to leave.

Community support (not just sport) – Derek stressed that “this is a real community club that supports people’s lives off the pitch as well as on it. It’s about social care, education and poverty as much as sport.”  This manifests itself in a food bank, cost-of-living support, employability programmes and a leadership academy which helps equip youngsters for a life of work. CJCE is far more than a football organisation. It is a cornerstone of the community—using sport and community-led development to improve lives, connect people, and build a more inclusive, resilient local society

Partnerships – For Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise, partnership working is not optional — it is essential. It enables the organisation to:

·       Increase reach and impact

·       Access funding and resources

·       Deliver higher-quality services

·       Support long-term community development

Through partnerships with East Ayrshire Council, the SFA, Training Providers, Active Schools, Local Businesses, Third Sector Organisations, Health Partners, and numerous charities and funders, CJCE has been able to maximise its impact. As Derek noted, “most of our successes come from working with organisations that share our values, where we can learn from each other to everyone’s advantage.”

Community Hub - The sporting facilities and enthusiasm that permeates the Townhead Community Hub where CJCE is based, are available for all who want to use them. While we were there, some boys, obviously skipping school, were on the astroturf pitch, simply kicking a ball about for fun. CJCE is more than just a sports hub, it’s a social space, a safe place for young people and a meeting point for families.

“When football leads, real change can be achieved”, declared the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Maree Todd, during closing remarks at a Scottish Parliament debate on ‘The Role Of Football In Scottish Society and Communities .’ She then added in her closing remarks, “Football can, and does, play a powerful role in leading the way in addressing wider societal challenges.”

Calum Clark of the Alliance for Health and Social Care on reporting on the Parliament debate said, “I recently visited Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise in East Ayrshire to conduct a “Connected Communities Case Study,” where this was immediately evident – so much so that I couldn’t adequately include everything the charity does.

Alastair Blair, Director of Operations, the SFU