Buddies hopeful for double celebration on Saturday

Friday 28 April 2000

St Mirren Football Club will be winners regardless  of the score in this Saturday’s crunch game against Raith Rovers, as the day sees the official opening of their brand new Love Street Stand.

The conversion of the terracing to an all-seated stand received £300,000 from sportscotland’s Lottery Fund in partnership with the Football Trust, and will enable the Club to meet sports ground safety requirements in line with the recommendations of the Taylor Report.

Stewart Gilmour, Chairman of the St Mirren Football Club Ltd., said:  "We are delighted to be able to officially open our new stand and very pleased with the work that has been done, particularly in such a short timescale.  We are very grateful to sportscotland and to the Football Trust for all their assistance in enabling us to complete the new stand, which I am sure will prove to be of lasting benefit to the Club and the fans."

Alastair Dempster, Chairman of sportscotland, said: "To date, sportscotland has spent over £2.4m on helping Scottish Football Clubs to make essential safety improvements.

"This weekend’s opening brings sportscotland Lottery Fund investment in Scottish football generally to over £17m, generating almost £60m in matching funding for the sport.  This is the largest total investment in any sport in Scotland and is spread across all levels of the game.

"Of this, £13m has been spent on improving facilities to give more people a chance to participate regardless of where they live in Scotland.  Awards have ranged from £100,000 to create an all-weather synthetic pitch at Back Football and Recreation Club in the Isle of Lewis, helping to establish a junior football ‘School of Excellence’ on the island; to £590,000 to construct new synthetic and grass pitches and a changing pavilion in Easterhouse, Glasgow, where previously the local team had to change in a nearby school and carry their goalposts half a mile in order to play.

"As well as facilities, sportscotland is helping individual athletes at all levels, from supporting the training and competition costs of the Scottish Women’s Football Team and funding the appointment of their coach, Vera Pauw; to helping to create the successful Scottish international players of the future by supporting the Scottish national under-16 boys’ team.

"We hope that this investment will encourage more people, regardless of age or sex, to take part in, as well as watch, football, and help to recognise and develop the young talent that exists in Scotland."

• sportscotland has so far invested over £100m in developing sport in Scotland through the provision and improvement of club and community sports facilities, supporting our talented athletes and junior groups and helping to appoint coaches and School Sport Co-ordinators.