Inverness Caley Thistle community development trust’s £1.5 million new community football mecca beside IRA school set to open by end of year after funding package secured from SFA, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, SportScotland, McDonald’s and others
Moves to create a ground-breaking £1.5 million mecca for community football in Inverness could be realised by the end of this year.
That is the hope of Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Development Trust, who secured a 25-year lease of £1 per annum from Highland Council for disused playing fields at Inverness Royal Academy.
The Trust, which operates independently of Inverness Caley Thistle FC, pulled together a funding package with substantial contributions from the Scottish Football Association (SFA), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and a range of other backers.
The community hub vision was first revealed by the Courier in March 2022 and features changing rooms, classroom and offices, a variety of grass pitches and one enclosed purpose-built show pitch.
It will provide a unique new enclosed home ground for amateurs Inverness Athletic and, potentially, Caley Thistle’s women’s team.
It will also provide “much-needed” extra pitch provision for hire by a multitude of local youth and amateur teams and clubs, bringing in an estimated income of £220,000 per year.
The new complex will create five permanent jobs and 50 volunteering opportunities.
It would also provide the trust itself with a permanent state-of-the-art base and focus for its extensive programme of activities.
A first phase of work, costing £230,000, is well underway after the trust commissioned landscape consultants Green-tech to re-seed and drain the 10-acre green space, bringing it back to life after years of under-use through flooding.
A second phase, costing £1,280,000, has seen the firm IBI Joinery awarded a 20-week construction contract to complete buildings for the 16-strong community development team.
Those set to be regular users include the trust’s walking and para footballers; boys and girls attending the Trust’s holiday programmes and the SFA/McDonald’s soccer festivals; and pupils of Inverness Royal Academy.
The Trust – a not-for-profit charity – has attracted funding of close to £400,000 from the SFA and a similar amount from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Other sizeable contributions have come from Highland Council, SportScotland, the Scottish Football Partnership Fund, the James Anderson Trust, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the McDonalds in the Community Foundation and the Bank of Scotland.
Craig Masterton, ICT Community Trust’s development manager, said: “We’re absolutely delighted we have reached our funding target. Warmest thanks are extended to the many funders of our exciting project.
“We are hoping to have the facility up and running by the end of this year, providing our community with a much-needed grassed area for activity.”
Graeme Sutherland, north regional manager for the SFA, said: “Our investment in this regeneration initiative shows our continued commitment to grassroots sport and local communities.”
James Turner, HIE’s head of strengthening communities for the inner Moray Firth area, said: “This very ambitious project will strengthen and significantly extend the provision of football related physical activity options for people in and around the city, while securing employment and volunteering opportunities.”
Highland Council’s Inverness city leader, councillor Ian Brown, said: “It’s fantastic to see the regeneration of the playing field which I’m sure will become a popular asset for the local community.”
The project has received £100,000 of National Lottery funding from Sportscotland's sport facilities fund and Forbes Dunlop, chief executive of SportScotland, said: “When it opens, the hub will be of huge significance to sport in the area, bringing huge benefits for the people of Inverness and the surrounding communities."
McDonald’s franchisee Iain Fyfe hailed a “fantastic new local football hub”, adding: “This project reflects our long-standing commitment to grassroots football in the Highlands.”
