CASH-STRAPPED council chiefs have denied the region has missed out on much-needed investment in sports facilities due to a lack of a sports strategy.

However, Glenn Rodger, director of education and lifelong learning at Scottish Borders Council, admitted that plans to develop a new 10 year blueprint for sport in the Borders could help attract new funding in future.

He made the comments following the Scottish Borders Sports Conference at the Borders College in Galashiels on Sunday.

It followed concerns that sport in the region has been historically underfunded.

Sports groups from all over the Borders met with the chief executive of Scottish Borders Council, David Hume, and the chief executive of SportScotland, Stewart Harris, to discuss their vision for 2020.

Speaking to the Border Telegraph at the end of the six-hour conference, Mr Rodger said: "I think the key message to come out of the conference was that partnership working is the way forward.

"I think there is a recognition that the status quo, whereby the council is expected to fund everything, isn't going to be an option in the future.

"I don't think we have missed out on funding (due to a lack of strategy). I think we have been very successful in bringing funding in to the Borders in a number of different ways.

"However, the message we and every other local authority in Scotland is getting, is that when resources become precious we've got to have a very structured approach to bids for additional resources and that's why SportScotland have been helping us by partly funding the Kit Campbell report and working with us in developing a strategy." Concerns were raised over difficulties accessing the state-of-the-art sports facilities at the three new secondary schools in the Borders - including the new astroturf pitches at Earlston High School.

However, the council revealed a new online booking system could be extended to include sports halls across the region to make it easier for the local community to access the facilities in future.

Mr Rodger said: "The council is absolutely committed to sport and recognises the important role it plays. There has been a huge investment in sport in the Borders, including the new high schools and the sports facilities that are there." But he added: "If there are any problems with access we've got to be aware of them and look at how we improve that in future." The summit, believed to be the first of its kind in the Borders, won the support of for Scotland football star John Collins and Scotland rugby coach Gregor Townsend, who both kicked off their career in Galashiels, and are behind the bid to build the region's first 3G pitch at Netherdale, Galashiels.

They revealed they would like to see better indoor and outdoor sports facilities across the Borders.

Collins said: "I have been fortunate to travel the world a bit in my sport and see first-hand the effect of good facilities on increasing the number of people of all ages involved in sport and leisure, and just living healthier lifestyles, and also the improvements they bring to the quality of athletes and elite performance right up through the ages.

"Good athletes need more than just facilities to improve, but in my experience the right facilities make a huge difference.

"Myself and Gregor have backed the work by the clubs and organisations behind the Netherdale project over the past year for a new 3G pitch. We're delighted with the effort that has gone into that and we'd like to see better indoor and outdoor facilities across the Borders.

"This is and always has been a fantastic area for producing sports people and the ethos of sport across the Borders is special, but times have changed since the days I grew up in Galashiels, outside every night, kicking a ball in the dark, and travelling to Edinburgh and Glasgow as a kid to play. And we need facilities to reflect that." And he added: "Having a strategy for the next ten years and beyond will hopefully bring some clarity to everyone involved in sport and leisure and make it easier to work together to give the Borders the sports facilities it needs and deserves." Last year, Scottish Borders Council commissioned a report by Edinburgh based consultants Kit Campbell Associates which recommended closing crumbling sports centres across the region, such as the swimming pool in Selkirk and sports centre at Tweedbank, and building a new state-of-the-art regional centre in Galashiels.

It claimed the size of the population in the Borders did not justify an indoor sports centre or swimming pool in every town and said the current provision was ageing and unsustainable.

A report on a strategy for the future of sport in the Borders is expected to be presented to councillors in June.

Ewan Jackson, chief executive of Borders Sports and Leisure Trust, which is responsible for managing sports centres across the region, said: "I think the conference was very helpful to pull in all the communities and all the user groups to discuss how sports should be run looking into the future.

"I don't think the Borders has done itself any favours by not having a sports strategy. For a long time now, SportScotland has made it quite clear that when they and other big funding groups look to invest there needs to be a strategy in place before they can support it." And he added: "The one message that came through loud and clear is we need to work together if we are to deliver both on services and facilities for the future."