Ayr United strives to make football accessible to people of all ages. It has proven a highly effective means of using the sport to encourage a healthy lifestyle and promote education amongst young people and adult in all areas of our communities. In 2017 we supervised over 140,000 participant attendances which meets the needs of around 11,750 individuals around our programmes.

This has been achieved through a selection of our following programmes:

Football Participation
We provide football centres from children aged between 2 and 12 as well as holiday camps during Easter, Summer and October, in 2017 attendances for these programmes reached around 29,000.

Girls and Women’s Football Development
With 80 girls participating weekly, the aim is to further grow this programme. Girls teams train twice a week and play over the weekend. Last year around 120 girls attended this exclusive programme for women and girls, resulting in a 50% increase in attendances to 5,800. 

Night Leagues
This programme, aimed at young people who may be on a loose end at the weekend, are organised diversionary activities which attracted around 90 participants. A total of 35 sessions were delivered and we recorded 1,300 attendances in physical activities, rather than anti-social behaviour.

Disability Football Programme
This programme which is funded by BBC Children in Need has seen continued involvement in South Ayrshire ASN schools and the growth and development of the Honest Kids Club.

Weigh 2 Go
Weigh to Go Ayr United is a lifestyle programme funded fully by Alliance Scotland. AUFA deliver the programme in partnership with NHS Ayrshire and Arran. The programme is for males aged 16+, who are overweight or suffer long term health issues. Each Programme has an intense twelve-week block of activity and educational lifestyle workshops which lead in to one year of monitoring and evaluating each participant. 

Walking Football
This is one of the Academy's fastest growing activities allowing men or women in the over 50 age group to take part in fun and competitive football sessions on a weekly basis. Currently there are five centres across South Ayrshire with sessions taking place at Maybole, Ayr, Troon and Prestwick. Annual attendance numbers have increased from 2,600 last year to 3,400 this, with an average of over 70 participants per week.

Football Memories
Targeted at the increasing population of over 50's, Football Memories sessions enable people to get together and reminisce about football, as well as other sports. We encourage people to talk about day to day memories of their past whilst enjoying the anecdotes of others. The target group includes people with Alzheimer's/Dementia and those experiencing social isolation and loneliness. There are around 16 sessions a year and they take place at Somerset Park (Ayr), Girvan and Maybole.