Kirkcaldy 3G pitch: club confident it can raise nearly £1m after council support

Councillors on Kirkcaldy area committee agreed to back the near £1m project with a donation of £159,000. It went to Kirkcaldy Community Football Partnership Scottish Charitable Incorporate Organisation (KCFP SCIO) but will only kick in if the group can secure full funding

Robert Main, who chairs the organisation, said ”over the moon” with the backing, and added: “There’s still a lot of work ahead to secure the rest of the funding but we’re confident we can do this.”

The group has already agreed a 25-year lease from Fife Council for the use of the park - it covers three areas of grounds including a pavilion, outbuildings, and an ash park. Two natural grass pitches used by Kirkcaldy & Dysart FC as well as the other associated groups also come under the KCFP SCIO.

Added Mr Main: “At the moment we, or any of the other groups, tend to hire pitches elsewhere for football but due to the increasing demand in the area for these, we asked Fife Council if they could help us make our dream of creating a new full size 3G synthetic pitch, including floodlighting, adjacent to the existing grass pitch, a reality.”

KFCP SCIO intends to apply to a number of other funding sources including the Department for Culture and Media (DCMS)/Scottish Football Association (SFA) grassroots football fund in February 2024. This can fund up to 50% of the project. It’s hoped that all funding will be in place and work will begin on the new 3G synthetic pitch in Summer 2024 with a view to it being opened during the 2024/25 season.

The council funding - originally earmarked for another project which didn’t come to fruition- will come via the ‘Improving Health Through Leisure and Sport’ fund.

Councillor Ian Cameron, convener of Kirkcaldy Area Committee,said: “This will be the first community-led 3G synthetic pitch, outwith the areas’ education and sport and leisure facilities. As a council we’re committed to creating healthy connected communities, where people thrive, have enough money, and contribute to a sustainable and attractive environment and this project is a perfect fit.

“A lot of work and consultation with colleagues across the council and other partner organisations, including NHS Fife, has taken place, and it’s a proposal that was actually initially agreed in the Kirkcaldy Charette from 2013 so it’s great to see this being realised. Further consultation will also take place with immediate neighbours and residents to make sure they’re also happy with the plans. The overall cost of the project is estimated around £900k which I know the club is working hard towards securing.

“This facility will benefit the Kirkcaldy area in a number of ways including improved access to community football facilities as well as providing a place for football camps, free play, coaching opportunities, and somewhere other sports clubs and schools in the area can use. As many locals will know there is also an issue with flooding in this particular spot so this project will also help to resolve this.”

KCFP was formed in 2019 and brought together Kirkcaldy YMCA FC, Dysart AFT, Templehall United FC Kirkcaldy FC and from the 2023/24 season, Kirkcaldy Inter. As a result, the YM changed their name to Kirkcaldy & Dysart FC and now play under this name in the East of Scotland 1st Division. Over the four partner clubs there are 19 age groups both male and female involving over 400 people from the various player pathways.