Two Fife footballers were left pinching themselves in amazement after rubbing shoulders with former Scotland internationals Kevin Thomson and John Robertson thanks to the Bank of Scotland Midnight League.

Joe Meldrum, 13, and 18-year-old Ben Graham attended the 2016 Bank of Scotland Midnight League launch at Balwearie High School on Friday evening, where the former currently attends and the latter used to.

The Bank of Scotland Midnight League is a network of five-a-side football games that aims to keep youngsters aged between 12 and 16 off the streets and give them something to do on a Friday and Saturday night.

Run in partnership with the Scottish FA, and supported by the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities programme, local council or trust funding, the Bank of Scotland Midnight League programme has expanded over the last 12 years to be established in all 32 Scottish local authorities with over 7000 young people participating across 100 communities each year.

The budding young footballers were joined by Hibernian midfielder Thomson and Hearts’ all-time leading goalscorer Robertson, and Lochgelly Albert Colts star Meldrum admitted the day will live long in the memory.

“The Midnight League is fun,” he said. “I like to come along and play with my friends. You get a good laugh with your friends and the coaches are always nice and funny.

“I think it is quite important because maybe their parents can’t afford to take their kids to a local football team, but they get to come to a Midnight League for free and play football.

“It was great to meet John and Kevin. They were really nice people and quite funny.

“I met Steven Whittaker when I was at a Scotland game before but this is quite special. It is a dream to meet someone like that and then it actually comes true and it is overwhelming.”

Entering its 13th year, the Bank of Scotland Midnight League will introduce an exciting new ‘Community Captains’ initiative to the programme.

Supported fully by the Scottish FA the community captains of each participating team will be handed key responsibilities which includes organising their squad’s attendance, encouraging good behaviours, and promoting the sessions.

Meldrum and Graham are both set to be Community Captains for the year, and the latter is relishing the chance to shine.

“I am looking forward to being a Community Captain,” said Graham, who attends Fife College. “I have been involved a lot in the past helping the running of the sessions, making sure the bibs are picked up, the cones are collected, all the menial tasks.

“But I am really excited to see what it will all entail over the next five or six months.

“My commitment is to be here every week and usually here early to get everything set up and make sure it is running well.

“I am a similar age to the people playing so I can be there as someone to talk to if they don’t want to speak to the adults.

“I will get confidence from it, being able to speak to new people and gain leadership skills. I enjoy the responsibility, it makes you feel valued and people look up to you.”

Thomson also knows what it takes to be a captain, adding: “The Bank of Scotland Midnight League is a fantastic programme that I’ve admired for some time now.

“Allowing young people to play football for free in facilities like Balwearie High School is a great way to develop as footballers and as individuals.”

Bank of Scotland Midnight League is a free national network of diversionary 5-a-side football activity, targeting male and females between 12 to 16 year olds across the country. For more information please visit: www.scottishfa.co.uk/midnightleague