Fraserburgh F.C. were delighted to receive a Facilities Award from The Scottish Football Partnership to assist with the costs of upgrading the floodlights at Bellslea Park and to have these fully operational in time for winter.
Findlay Noble, the Club Chairman commented “Up to the end of last season the lights we had were purchased from Ross County approximately 10 years ago. The lights have served us well but were costing more and more in maintenance as they aged. Furthermore the uniformity of the light was not in compliance with the next level of club licensing.
As a club, we are always striving to upgrade our licensing level. At present, we comply with Entry Level in each area, but the long term ambition is for the ground to reach Bronze.
Club Licensing is now part of Scottish Football, and the Scottish FA are as keen as we are for clubs to keep progressing. Obviously, upgrades like these come at significant cost. There is no sole benefactor at Fraserburgh FC, so everything we do is funded by community support, sponsorship, Scottish FA and SHFL.
In order to assist clubs in upgrading their licence, there is funding available through The Scottish Football Partnership (SFP). We are very happy to say the SFP approved our application for the floodlight upgrade and we received 60% of the cost of the lights. This comes to a significant five figure sum, without which the upgrade would not have been possible.
As a result, the lighting system is now a uniform 300 Lux, which is compliant with Club License Bronze level. This is a significant milestone for the club and will give spectators and players fantastic lighting for many years to come.
We are grateful for the help of Stuart McCaffrey at the SFP for his assistance in compiling the grant application.”
