Ayr United F.C are the latest club to receive a Facilities Strategy Award from The Scottish Football Partnership. The Award itself was used to part fund the upgrading of the clubs ground at Somerset Park. Ayr United’s Managing Director Lewis Grant said, “After the winter storms in December 2011 and January 2012 during which we lost sections of the roofs on the Somerset Road (home) terracing and the main stand, we had to do major repairs to sections of the main stand and home terracing roofs. There was a substantial cost involved above the payment from the insurance company because we decided to replace larger areas of the roofs than were damaged because of peripheral damage caused outside the ground, and we were forced into a quick repair job to allow us to stage scheduled games. We were able to fund the additional cost from our own resources.To receive our ground safety certificate for season 2012/2013, we were required by our local authority to replace major additional areas of cement roof sheeting with metal roofing, along with all the peripheral items of rainwater gutters and down pipes for the balance of the main stand, the Somerset Road Terracing (home), and part of the Railway End (away). We were required to upgrade the kitchen, and effected repairs to some large fire exit gates to prolong their useful life.We applied for and were awarded a Scottish Football Partnership grant to help with these improvements, which, because of the previous winter’s roof and equipment repairs and replacements, we would have had extreme difficulty in funding totally from income, and that has helped us to fulfil the requirements of safety certificate and also to improve the appearance and facilities of the ground. The work was carried out in the main during November and December and we are very appreciative of the help, support and advice offered by The Scottish Football Partnership”.
