Lottery funding kick starts Kilwinning sports club development

Thursday 16 September 2004  

Frank McAveety, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, will cut a ribbon to mark the official opening of the long awaited football multi-courts at Kilwinning Community Sports Club on Monday 20 September.  To celebrate the completion of the new facilities, the club has organised a number of fun sporting activities for the whole community to enjoy, including, a staff 5-a-side match, a netball session and a training demonstration by Kilwinning’s ladies football team.

Supported by an award of £200,000 from sportscotland’s Lottery funded Sports Facilities Programme, the community sports club now boasts a full size grass football pitch and four new all-weather 5-a-side multi-use courts with floodlighting and fencing, complementing the existing 11-a-side pitch and helping to widen sporting opportunities in the Kilwinning area.

Jim McCubbin, Chairman of Kilwinning Community Sports Club said:  “A lot of time and effort has been invested in this project by a few dedicated volunteers on behalf of them and the community of Kilwinning I would like to express our gratitude to sportscotland and the other funding partners for their investment in this exciting project.”

The club was formed in 2000 after concerns were raised by local football teams about the lack of sports facilities in the Kilwinning area.  After discussions with North Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Football Association, it was agreed that a community managed sports facility would be of particular benefit to the area and Kilwinning Community Sports Club was born. 

In 2001, the club carried out a feasibility study into the facilities required for Kilwinning and the surrounding areas.  After consultation with the local football teams, it was agreed that the provision of new all-weather multi-courts would be of most benefit to the area.  With support from sportscotland, Communities Scotland, North Ayrshire Council, New Opportunities Fund and Children in Need, plans for the additional sports pitches finally came to fruition in May of this year when work on the project began.

The completion of the pitches marks the end of the first phase of a much wider sports based development programme for the area, which has suffered from high unemployment and low investment over the last decade.  The club has further development phases planned and in the near future plans to extend the range of sports available.

The club is committed to providing the local community with affordable, accessible sporting facilities and currently runs a number of football development programmes for people of all ages and abilities, providing them with the opportunity to participate as part of a healthy lifestyle and helping them to reach their full potential.  The club also runs coach education and leadership courses and currently has over fifty qualified coaches active within the club.  It is hoped that the additional facilities will attract more people and encourage them to support the development of football and other sports in the area. 

Jim McCubbin, Chairman of Kilwinning Community Sports Club said:  “A lot of time and effort has been invested in this project by a few dedicated volunteers on behalf of them and the community of Kilwinning I would like to express our gratitude to sportscotland and the other funding partners for their

investment in this exciting project.”

Mr McAveety said: “This cutting edge facility will provide the people of Kilwinning and the surrounding area with a facility which will attract and inspire people of all ages to become more active. The range of resources here is very impressive and young people will also be attracted here either to take up a sport for their own recreational enjoyment, or to pursue it more seriously. All of these ingredients are vital if we are to achieve our aims of giving everyone in Scotland the opportunity to participate in sport and excel at their own level, as well making Scotland a country achieving and sustaining world class performances in sport.”

Alastair Dempster, Chairman of sportscotland added:  “sportscotland is delighted to have been part of the pitch development project at Kilwinning Community Sports Club, with an award of £200,000 from the Lottery Fund’s Sports Facilities Programme.

“Sport has a key role to play in Scotland, improving the nations health, promoting social inclusion and introducing communities to the fun and enjoyment sport can provide.  This project is yet another example of sportscotland’s commitment to providing quality, accessible facilities to the areas of Scotland that need it the most, giving more people the opportunity to be more active, more often.”

• The official opening will take place at 12:00 at Kilwinning Community Sports Club, Pennyburn Road, Pennyburn, Kilwinning, KA13 6LF.
• Additional funding for the project was received from Communities Scotland through Irvine Housing Association (£60,000), North Ayrshire Council (£50,000), New Opportunities Fund (£40,000) and Children In Need (£25,000).
• Kilwinning Community Sports Club is situated in the Social Inclusion Partnership Area (SIP) of Pennyburn.
• In September 2003, sportscotland announced it had also awarded £49,132 from its Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPs) Programme to support the posts of Facilitator and Sports Development Co-ordinator based at the club for a second year.
• The club is affiliated with the Scottish Football Association.