Working hard to put Kirkcaldy & Dysart FC on the map

The club aims to put Denfield firmly on the map along with Kirkcaldy’s Beveridge, Ravenscraig and Dunnikier parks.

Vice-chair Alistair Cameron says as it stands Denfield is such an unrecognised part of Kirkcaldy that before the club’s amalgamation with Dysart FC it didn’t even have a postcode.

“We want to make Denfield into Kirkcaldy’s fourth park and make it an active one,” he said.

“That’s the whole idea. That’s why we’ve taken the lease on for roughly 70 per cent of the whole park.

“Not only do we have the two pitches but there’s other areas which we hope the community will be able to use in due course. Not to make them football areas, but just to make them active.

“Also, we’re looking at ways in which we can open up the park as a cycle route and a clear walking route from the hospital right the way through the park and out to the Bennochy area.

“That’s something we’re pursuing with Fife Council.

“So it’s a whole load of things - not just football.”

Mr Cameron says that the club are making great strides off the pitch and are in a good position financially.

The tie up with Dysart was crucial for us from that point of view, as well as Scott Jackson coming on board as Chairman,” he says.

Mr Jackson says as well as the work on Denfield as a whole, the team’s ground, Alex Penman Park, will be of a very high standard.

“We hope this will encourage local support to come along on match days and enjoy the facilities and of course get behind the team,” he said.

“Our committee are working extremely hard to make sure we’ll be ready for the start of the new season and I would like to give a special mention to Stewart McManus who is the driving force behind all project work being carried out around the ground.

“Kirkcaldy and Dysart FC Management and Committee remain extremely focused and committed, our vision for the club is taking shape and everyone involved throughout the partnership should be proud of what’s been achieved so far and look forward to bright and successful future.”

The project is closely linked to Fife Council’s Green Infrastructure Plan for the Victoria Road charrette and has the backing of Councillor Neil Crooks.

He says there may well be “thousands” of people living in Kirkcaldy who don’t even know Denfield Park exists.

“As well as Alex Penman Park, there is another football pitch and a fenced blae pitch which was floodlit at one time,” he says.

“There are footways through the park area too and the Council have applied for funds from the Sustrans Places for Everyone fund to support feasibility work on the site.

“It was identified for a potential link with the Victoria Hospital site and there is scope for a sensory garden, path links and cycle ways as well as offering significant opportunities for enhancing the green space with tree planting high on the climate change agenda.

“The Kirkcaldy Community Football Partnership has approached Fife Council to discuss the possibility of leasing the whole Denfield area in the future, not just Alex Penman Park, and with this community initiative behind it, there may well be a fourth public park to be proud of in the not too distant future.”

Mr Cameron hopes the work will help to raise the profile of the club.

“We’ve had to raise a lot of money for all the developments that we are working through,” he said, “we’ve been fortunate enough to receive a grant from Fife Council for fencing, but we will need to receive further funds to complete that.

“We’ve had a lot of sponsorships which we are really grateful for, particularly from Alex Penman, who has helped us considerably.

“The leasing is going to cost us quite a bit of money as well, but in the main the finances of the club have come on in the last two years, though the COVID-19 outbreak has put a stop to a lot of our fundraising.

“But we are financially stable and we have a good set up.”

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