Anger over lack of facilities
Not enough football parks, say parents
Parents and local football clubs in Rutherglen and Cambuslang have called on South Lanarkshire Council to fund better sporting facilities before the best young talent leaves the area.
As the winter months approach, every boys and girls team is already in the process of finding a training base with artificial turf.
However, with only one 4G (fourth generation) 11 a-side park in both the towns, many clubs are left to find facilities in Glasgow or faced with playing on sandy hockey pitches, grass parks with no floodlights or even red ash parks.
And to add to the desperate need for full-size artificial grass parks, at least five local clubs will look to take their 2006 sides into 11 a-side football next season.
But there is no place within either town where they could play their home games all year round.
Parent and Cambuslang man Alex Black has called on the local authority to follow in North Lanarkshire’s footsteps and plough money into a facility to develop young sportsmen and women.
His son Cooper, 11, is an aspiring goalkeeper and has trained with clubs in both council areas and has left his dad puzzled as to why there is such a lack of all-weather parks in his home town.
“Cooper has been training at the Ravenscraig Sports Centre, the Dalziel sports fields and schools like St Andrews High where they have great facilities,” Alex said.
“I took him to goalkeeper training at Dalziel and the facilities were first class. There were two astro 11 a-side pitches alongside grass pitches and a rugby pitch with a wee stand.
“But we wanted to find a club a little closer to home so he’s joined Rutherglen Burgh who play on a grass park in Burnhill. It has no floodlights, no lines on the park. They’ve got a couple of good coaches there but there is a lack of a decent facility.
“If teams go to 11 a-side next year, there are not many teams with a place to call home and I know Cambuslang FC, for example, play their games in Hamilton.
“And without disrespect, parents in Burnhill might not have a car or the cash to take their kids outside Rutherglen and Cambuslang to better facilities.”
He added: “Most clubs will have at least one 2006 team who will struggle to find a home ground next season.
“There is Peter Brownlee Park (Westburn Road) which is a full-size red ash park and in my day everybody used an ash park. But it’s still there and it’s never used.
“The nearest place to get an allweather pitch is £40 an hour at Toryglen [Regional Football Centre] and that’s just not viable for a lot of teams.”
A petition last year called on South Lanarkshire Council, the Scottish Government and local community to work together to provide an outlet for 12 to 18 year olds in the evenings and at weekends in Cambuslang.
And another has been published to drum up support to change the current 2G pitch at Catkin High School into an artificial grass park.
There is also talk of a synthetic surface being put in at Rutherglen Glencairn’s Celsius Stadium but talks are at a very early stage.
However, local clubs are facing another season of searching for training and match facilities and look likely to set up a HUB to discuss how they can all work together to find a solution.
David Buchanan, of Cambuslang Football Academy, says the club have nine teams who have to venture outside the town for training and game pitches.
He said: “Financially we’ve had to put fees up. Getting people to games at times is difficult as we can’t play games in our home area because there’s nowhere near enough facilities.
“I also tried to get clubs to come together to form a steering group to get some facilities up to the standard so they can be used for matches.
“Most of our 11 a-side teams have had to move to Glasgow due to the lack of facilities which they can use as a five-a-side park. This isn’t any good and you’re not allowed to play matches on Stonelaw or Cathkin sand parks so it isn’t really sufficient to play on.”
Rutherglen Burgh’s Alexander Logue is part of the coaching set up at the club which has been running since April.
He said: “We train in Burnhill which has three 11 a-side grass pitches with no flood lights or lines painted. We’ll need to find somewhere else to train during the winter, most likely Trinity.
“The only slot we can get on 4G parks are at around half past eight which is far too late to ask parents to bring their children to training outside Rutherglen.
“I grew up in Burnhill and I know what it’s like. We are trying to bring the kids in off the street to play football but there is not enough decent facilities.”
Third Lanark Football Academy, who train in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, have recently voiced their frustration at having to book parks in Glasgow while Cambuslang FC have struggled for training facilities in and around Cambuslang during periods of school closure.