Lowestoft Town Football Club (LTFC) is delighted to announce that Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Ltd (a 50:50 joint venture partnership between SSE and RWE Innogy) will be working with Lowestoft Town in forging closer links with youth football in the region.

SSE, who operate the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm project off the Suffolk Coast, have signed-up to connect with local youngsters playing in the FA’s Norfolk & Suffolk Youth League.

Thanks to the sponsorship up to eight local U12 & U13's teams in the scheme get the opportunity to be ball-boys at Crown Meadow for a first team home league match in the Conference North.

The ball-boys for each match day, along with sponsors Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Ltd, will be given a mention over the tannoy and in the match day programme, before the ball-boys take to the pitch with the first team prior to kick off. On top of this all ball-boys will receive a small gift from Lowestoft Town Football Club - and all eight teams will get a training session with LTFC Director of Football Craig Fleming, at Easter.

The initiative is part of LTFC’s on-going youth community work, which includes existing schemes such as fun days and school-holiday coaching courses.

The first Norfolk & Suffolk Youth Team to be welcomed to the Crown Meadow as ball-boys were Mutford & Wrentham Pumas (pictured), who joined us on Saturday for our 3-2 home victory against Bradford Park Avenue. The Pumas were unbeaten champions of the Norfolk & Suffolk Under 11 Division 3 last season and play their home games at Elm Tree School in Lowestoft.

With 140 turbines generating 500MW, the Greater Gabbard offshore wind farm is capable of providing enough clean energy to power around 530,000 homes and makes a significant contribution to the Government’s renewable energy targets. Greater Gabbard Offshore Winds Ltd has an operational base in Lowestoft employing 100 people supporting their £1.6bn Greater Gabbard windfarm off the Suffolk coast.

We are therefore delighted to have them on board and would like to thank them for being our ball-boy sponsors for 2014/15 and combining with us in continuing to reach out in our area to the potential young footballers and supporters of the future.

Terry Bullen