STANDING yards apart, the two groups of children line up to face each other.

The eldest only about 11, the youngest little more then six, they scream at the top of their voices, arms waving, a look of fierce passion on their young faces.

"Who are ya? Who are ya? Who are ya?..." the question, repeated at deafening volume, is never answered during the course of an afternoon of fun and football.

The playful confrontation comes at the start of one of Darlington Football Club's Football in the Community (FITC) courses, in which youngsters are not only given a chance to improve their skills, but also to become good supporters.

FITC officer Kevin Stonehouse, a former Quakers player, set up the course 18 months ago when he arrived at Darlington FC's Feethams ground to take up his new promotional role.

Youngsters are invited to the club's Quaker Sports Centre at noon on matchday Saturdays, where they are taught to chant and cheer from the terraces and given coaching by staff from the club's Centre of Excellence.

The five to 14-year-olds are treated to a McDonald's lunch, occasionally get a visit from Quakers players and are taken to the afternoon's match, where they are supervised as they practise the vocal skills they have been taught.

The club's view is that, despite arriving in a variety of football kits ranging from Darlington and Newcastle United to Liverpool and Arsenal, they will become Quakers fans for life.

The Quakers might also be seen by parents to be providing a cheap babysitting service, at a rate of £12 for the five hours that the youngsters are in the club's care.

But the added bonus for the club is that they have a ready-made cheer squad at home games, ready to wind-up the opposition goalkeeper at goal kicks, and putting voice to the chants they are taught, such as "dodgy keeper" and, of course "Who are ya?"

"These are basically some of the only ones you can hear cheering them on at the moment," Mr Stonehouse said before the game against Swansea City on Saturday.

"This is the age we want to attract to the football club. Hopefully the club holds on to these for the rest of their lives."

Many of the 30 or so youngsters at the Saturday session, which included a growing female contingent, have been attending the sessions since they began, inspiring hope for the future.

The coaches, led by Chris Sowerby, get to know the youngsters through regular attendance and develop a relationship similar to that of a youth leader, as well as football instructor.

Some weeks have seen the coaches having to deal with more than 100 youngsters, but attendance fluctuates in accordance with holidays and the team's fortunes.

But a goalless draw did not dampen the spirits of the youngsters watching the Swansea game, still in the sports kits they wore for training, who screamed for 90 minutes.

To find out more about Football in the Community, and the courses it runs, which continue during summer, call (01325) 381972.