Threave Rovers Youth Development are the most recent club to benefit from an award from The Scottish Football Partnership Trust’s (SFP Trust) Grassroots Football Facilities Fund which was established with investment received from the Edinburgh philanthropist, Mr. James Anderson.
The club contacted the SFP Trust late last summer seeking funding to assist with their plans to upgrade the old multi-use games area at Castle Douglas High School, which had originally been laid in 2000, into a modern all-weather training and match facility. Castle Douglas was the only town in the region without a 3G facility and it had been the long-term aim of the club to have all their teams train in Castle Douglas for the full 12 months of the year.
The club had previously acquired the use of the sports facility which included natural grass pitches and an indoor sports hall at the High School through a Service Level Agreement with Dumfries and Galloway Council and to take over the management and running of the facility during out of school hours, weekends and school holiday periods. Although the club had their own grass facility at Birkland Park which they used during the summer, in winter most of their teams had to travel to Dalbeattie to use the 3G facility in that town for training. This also meant that some kids missed out if they were unable to find transport to take them there and, in the current climate, this was an additional expense for parents at a time when fuel costs were rising and the cost of living was escalating. This new base will see families no longer having to travel outwith Castle Douglas and will have a positive impact on participation levels and less impact on the environment.
Now that the project has been completed, not only will the club’s 250 boys and girls benefit from these upgraded facilities, but members of the local community and pupils from the High School will also be able to take advantage of the new surface. The project was supported and delivered in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council and much credit must go to Mark Geddes (pictured) and his team of volunteers at the club for their dedication in raising funds to make this fantastic project a reality.
