Youngsters are being encouraged to bang the drums for their favourite football club as it enters a new era under new leadership on and off the pitch.

The young Tavistock FC fans are being given the instruments to drum up more support and motivate the players from the terraces.

The rhythmic project is part of a new initiative to bring more youth, vitality and long-term stability into a club which has faced great upheaval this summer with a new management committee and new first team manager.

The emphasis on youth is also seen on the pitch, in a bid to give Tavistock FC strong roots for a longterm, bright future based on local players, backed by loyal wider community involvement.

The Lambs want to see more youngsters on the terraces, more families and a stronger connection between the club and the next generation. The idea is to make football fun and help players feel supported, when they hear the drumming, to feel that the town is behind them and inspire a better performance.

Club chair Karl Gatcum said: “I think for a club like Tavistock AFC, seeing young people standing on the terraces, watching the first team, cheering on the players and feeling part of the atmosphere helps build a connection between grassroots football and the senior game.

“It's about showing them that there is a pathway, that local football is something they can aspire to be part of, and that their town's club belongs to them too. I also want young people to believe that they can play on Langsford Park one day.”

The first to get their hands on the drums, donated by coach Louis Ormston, are members of the club’s new Tavistock AFC U16s Supporters Group.

The club has seen an increase in young fans coming through the gates since the off-pitch changes and is keen to keep up the momentum.

The Lambs are inviting more young people to Langsford Park match days, with U16s offered free entry. While a more collaboration is happening with Tavistock Community FC youth teams.

At a stormy committee meeting in mid-August it was agreed that although the Lambs showed promise on the pitch, improvements were needed off the field and the club needed to be run by ‘trusted local’ people who have an emotional attachment to it.

“Tavistock also needs a new generation of people in and around the club to keep it supported. The idea behind introducing the drums was to give our younger supporters something that helps them feel part of the club and gives them a role in creating the atmosphere at Langsford Park.

“We want young people to feel that Tavistock AFC is their club, not just somewhere they come to watch a football match. The drums give them a way to get behind the team, bring energy to the terraces, encouraging more youngsters to support their local side. The drums are part of our wider ambition to reconnect Tavistock AFC with the town and make the club a place where young people feel welcome and involved,” said Karl.