Former Dunfermline football manager Jim Leishman is standing as a candidate in the council elections later this year.

On Monday Leishman announced he would be one of two Labour candidates for the Dunfermline Central seat. He was joined by former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other Labour party politicians at the launch of his campaign.

Leishman managed the Fife side in the 1980s and is currently director of football at the club. He set up the Mary Leishman Foundation after his wife died of cancer in 2009.

On Monday, he said he was "privileged and proud" to stand for election and wants to start a "sporting revolution".

Leishman said: "I am a member of the Scottish Labour Party and I feel privileged and proud to stand for the election as a Fife Labour candidate for Dunfermline Central.

"I’ll be holding regular surgeries starting next week so that I can hear about the issues that matter most to locals. I look forward to meeting as many people as possible in the run up to the election in May.

"Every child in Fife should have more chance to take part in sports at school and every teenager in Fife should have better opportunities to use our sports facilities.

"I want to begin a sporting revolution that will give our young people better chances, deal with social problems, help our young people feel part of communities and build on Fife’s great sporting tradition.

"We need to put our sports facilities to better use and get every school involved in our sporting revolution."

Gordon Brown said he was "proud" to support Leishman’s plans.

He said: "Jim Leishman is a local hero whose commitment to sport, to young people and to Fife is well known across Scotland. He has shown what he’s capable of through his work with Dunfermline Athletic and the Mary Leishman foundation.

"Jim has inspired generations of young people and he will be a fantastic ambassador for Dunfermline at Fife Council and I’m proud to endorse his candidature."

The leader of Fife Labour councillor Alex Rowley, said he was "pleased" with the announcement and looked forward to working with Leishman.

He said: "It is clear that we can do more to support the army of volunteers running sports clubs all over Fife involving thousands of children and young people. With Jim at the helm a Labour administration in Fife will drive a sporting revolution in our schools, facilities and communities and will ensure that the local clubs and groups have the level of support and backing they deserve.

"Jim will use sport to transform the lives of children and young adults across the Kingdom. Henrys experience in reviewing sport at a Scottish level will be a major asset here in Fife."

Fife Council is currently run by an SNP and Liberal Democrat coalition. The constituency which Leishman is standing in has two Liberal Democrat councillors, one Labour and one SNP.