Council approves funding to support 3G pitch

Published 4 May 2010 14:25 3 Comments

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"IT'S probably going to be the most state of the art pitch in the whole of Scotland."

That was the view of Dougie Anderson, the Scottish Football Association's senior development officer in the Borders, as he perused plans to build the region's first 3G pitch, a full-size pitch suitable for rugby and football, at Netherdale in Galashiels.

Last week, councillors agreed to spend £450,000 on the project which, it is envisaged, will revolutionise sport in the area.

However, the local sports clubs behind the plans must now bid to the national agency for sport, SportScotland, for a further £350,000, as well as other local funding bodies, before construction work can kick-off.

It is understood the total cost of the project, which includes a five-a-side pitch, is estimated to be £950,000. However, it is believed the Fifa Two Star pitch could end up paying for itself.

Dougie said: "It's fantastic. Credit to the Council for backing this project. It's been a long time in coming. But this enables us to go for the funding from SportScotland. There is still a bit of work to do, we are not quite there yet, but without this funding the project would not have kicked-off."

He added: "Everyone talks about a lack of facilities and the need to invest and I'm hoping as a development officer that this is just the first model which can be potentially rolled out over the Borders in time."

Last year, we revealed sports clubs and organisations throughout the town had united in support of the project after cash-strapped council chiefs kicked out plans to lay the latest all-weather surface at the sports complex in Tweedbank.

In January, former Scotland footballer John Collins and national rugby coach Gregor Townsend returned to their roots in Galashiels to add their support to the project, entitled Netherdale: The Next Generation.

And, if the latest bid for funding is successful, it is hoped construction work could start as soon as the summer and the next generation of sports stars in the Borders could kick off their careers on the new pitch before the end of the year.

Dougie said: "The timescale is tight if we want the pitch to be laid this year. We would have to get the bid in to SportScotland by the end of May. But the worst case scenario is the pitch would be down by probably April 2011."

And he added: "Speaking to the SFA they feel this is the way the rest of the country should be going and the Borders is at the forefront of this."

The funding will help the group continue with their efforts to bring what will be an ideal surface for both competitive football and rugby to the central Borders - a facility which does not currently exist in the region.

The group leading the project called 'Netherdale - the Next Generation' is made up of representatives from local football and rugby clubs, the Scottish Football Association (SFA), Scottish Rugby Union (SRU), SBC, Borders College and SportScotland.

The project also has the support of two of the highest profile local sportsmen in the Borders - football star John Collins and rugby legend Gregor Townsend OBE, who are both passionate about the opportunities and benefits the project will bring to the region.

SBC's Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Community Learning, Councillor Graham Garvie, is supporting the project and explained: "This is an inspirational project and I am delighted the Council has agreed to give it considerable financial support in order to bring it another step closer to becoming a reality. It is widely accepted that the Borders is severely disadvantaged by not having a 3G pitch.

"The provision of such a facility at Netherdale would allow a huge number of rugby and football teams to play recreationally and competitively. In addition, the pitch would provide a base for the development of holiday programmes, festivals, coaching courses, school use, active schools and also an opportunity to increase the number of girls and women taking part in sport."

The funding from SBC now enables the group to submit a stage one application to SportScotland to cover the rest of the cost of the project. The total cost of the project is approximately £750,000.

If the project is successful, it will see the first shared club 3G pitch created in Scotland by gaining the support of the local authority, the Governing Bodies and SportScotland.

All the partners invested in a feasibility study to be carried out by PMR Leisure who investigated the possibility of the partners coming together to develop and deliver the 3G pitch at Netherdale. The investigation suggested Netherdale is the ideal location for the facility and that the project is a unique opportunity to bring together partners in football and rugby for the development of sport in the area.

Speaking on behalf of the partnership, Mark Munro, SFA Regional Manager, said: "This is a unique partnership in Scotland and we are delighted that Scottish Borders Council has committed to support the project. In June 2009, the football clubs in the Galashiels area alongside the Scottish FA South East Region got together to investigate ways to externally fundraise to create a 3G training facility at Netherdale. Following some very positive discussions, a formal group was created to conduct the feasibility work which included representation from the football clubs in the town, the Scottish FA South East Region, the Gala rugby clubs, the Scottish Rugby Union, the Borders College and Scottish Borders Council.

"The project is leading the way nationally and the passion and enthusiasm has been fantastic. The fact that the Partnership has now been formed and the fundraising commenced is amazing within such a short period of time. We now hope that similar partnerships of good practice will be established across the Borders following a positive outcome from this project."

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

J Birrell
Unregistered User
Apr 29, 19:01
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It seems incredible that £460k can be spent by Westminster on a pitch cut out of a Borders forest. This Olympiad Project under the heading of Art will provide a pitch that will be used once for a football match.

The Netherdale pitch would provide encouragement for countless players.

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Wolfie Magee
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May 3, 14:10
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This will be a fantastic project and offer top notch sporting facilities for an area which hasnt had what other parts of the UK call the norm now.

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Wolfie_Magee
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May 3, 14:10
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This will be a fantastic project and offer top notch sporting facilities for an area which hasnt had what other parts of the UK call the norm now.

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