AN INSPIRATIONAL football and community centre in Glasgow is celebrating after receiving a £149k boost.
Castlemilk Community Football Trust, which has transformed the Barlia pitches on the Southside of the city, says the money will help “generations to come”.
The money will be used to make the centre more accessible, with an upgrade to the existing pavilion.
Four new changing rooms will be built, allowing for increased use by women’s and girls’ teams as well as disabled players.
John Harkins, charity manager, said: “This money from sportscotland is essential to our plans to design and redevelop our changing pavilion into a reimagined space that will complement our recent pitches and floodlights redevelopment.
“This an exciting project that will benefit our footballing and wider community, creating a multi-purpose space and meeting rooms as well as new, improved changing areas, toilets and kitchen.”
Castlemilk’s Barlia pitches have transformed opportunities for young people and footballers in the community.
Thanks to years of hard work, their efforts bore fruit earlier this year with the news that almost £1m of investment would allow the once-derelict pitches to be transformed into a community hub.
Its bid for Community Ownership Funding was successful, and it was awarded £424,303 towards its pavilion refurbishment project.
The Scottish Football Association and Glasgow City Council provided grants totalling more than half a million pounds to replace all three five-a-side pitches and the 11-a-side pitch, and install state of the art LED floodlights and a spectator barrier.
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The group’s long-lease to be able to run the complex for the next 25 years has also been signed off by the council.
John added: “Castlemilk Community Football Trust is grateful to have sportscotland as one of our main funders, allowing us to increase accessibility and participation rates at Barlia for all ages and abilities, and to develop a top-class sports facility, fit for the future, to be enjoyed and utilised by generations to come.”
The Trust is one of 10 projects across the country to benefit from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund, which is sharing out a total of £1,116,600 to help groups develop existing facilities or create a new home for sport and physical activity.
The investment has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players, who raise £30 million each week for good causes across the UK.
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Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive Officer of sportscotland, said: “It is inspiring to see the number of projects looking to improve opportunities for sport and physical activity in the latest round of Sport Facilities Funding.
“We know that sport and physical activity have an important role to play in bringing communities together and building resilience.
“Thanks to the continued commitment of our local partners more people will have an opportunity to become physically active and feel part of their local community."
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