Cash approval for floodlights at St Andrews sports ground

contribution to St Andrews United FC for new floodlights.

Following a successful season last year, the club was invited to become a full member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA).

The new floodlights are needed for the club to meet SFA conditions for membership.

The club said SFA membership would not only secure its future but allow it to invest in its facilities.

As an SFA member, the club would be entered into the Scottish Cup, which would boost the profile of the club and provide the opportunity for supporters to see some big-name clubs play at their ground.

The funding will be distributed through the Common Good Fund, which currently has a total of £93,127 unallocated, in addition to revenue balances of £109,455.

The total cost of the project is £44,000.

St Andrews United is contributing £20,000, St Andrews Community Trust £10,000 and the Football Partnership £1000. There is a funding application pending for £1500 from the East of Scotland league and a target to raise £1500 through Crowd Funding.

The £10,000 funding from the Common Good represents 23 per cent of the total funding required.

Councillor Bill Porteous said: “Congratulations to the team for playing very well and also the fact they’ve raised so much money through various sources.

“All power to them and I hope they have a very good season.”

St Andrews Community Council was consulted about the funding application before it went to committee.

All councillors were supportive but concerns were raised over the floodlit pitches being made available to members of the public and other sports teams.

A report presented to the committee stated both the ground and social club of St Andrews United are used by various organisations and good causes, including St Andrews Colts and Hosting Hope and, until recently, facilities were provided for the NEF Hub.

However, St Andrews councillor Brian Thompson said he believed the pitches’ use by other teams was ‘exagerated’ in the report – and he was concerned about the benefit the  floodlights will have to the common good if other sports teams in St Andrews were not able to access the pitch.

He said: “I fully support the efforts of the club to improve itself but my concern is the benefit to the common good that this will have.

“I am not aware of St Andrews Colts using the actual football ground and what I suggested at a meeting last week is that we get some sort of commitment from St Andrews United that local clubs, such as St Andrews Colts and St Andrews Amateurs, do get access to the  ground if they wish in use of the floodlights.”

Councillor Jane Ann Liston, for St Andrews, agreed: “Perhaps we can make it known to the club that we are expecting it to make its premises available to other people.”

The applications was granted on the condition that other sports teams and members of the public in the area may use the pitch.