Grandstand to be built in Dundee’s City Square for new street soccer event

A grandstand is set to be built in Dundee’s City Square as a street soccer event comes to Tayside for the first time.

The Street Soccer Nations Cup – featuring teams from across the world – will be held on a four-a-side pitch outside the Caird Hall in September.

Organiser Street Soccer Scotland has lodged plans with the city council for the grandstand seating and a stage at City Square ahead of the tournament.

The event will feature 16 teams – eight male and eight female – who will compete in a series of games between September 9 and 11.

Teams from across world heading for Dundee

Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland will feature, with the other teams coming from abroad to take part.

Due to issues with international travel, organisers are not yet able to confirm which countries will be competing.

The teams involved traditionally play in events hosted by the Homeless World Cup organisers, however all of the usual tournaments have been postponed until 2023 due to Covid.

In response, Street Soccer Scotland has decided to organise its own event in Dundee.

Founder David Dukes told The Courier that City Square is the ideal location to host the new tournament.

He said: “Street Soccer has had a presence in Dundee for more than 10 years now.

“There seems to be a real energy in the city for trying things in a different way and that’s great.

Dundee ‘ticks all boxes’ for new street soccer event

“Hosting this event in Dundee gives us a platform show that there are solutions to problems like mental health.

“I’m from Glasgow and I love Dundee. I’ve found that this city is so receptive and it just ticks all the boxes.

“City Square is perfect for us too. It’ll be busy and we’re looking to get lots of people involved in this, especially kids and young people.”

Since 2009, Street Soccer Scotland has organised free football sessions for disadvantaged people.

Despite being based in Edinburgh, the social enterprise already has a presence in Dundee.

It took over the former Lynch Centre on South Road in 2021, transforming it into the Change Centre.

The centre will be turned into a facility for the athletes taking part in September’s tournament.

It comes after it was announced last week that a major international karate event is returning to Dundee next year, bringing with it a multi-million-pound economic boost.