Blantyre Soccer Academy are set to expand thanks to another asset transfer of land from South Lanarkshire Council.
The Lanarkshire football side, who train over 400 children at various age groups, a disability, women's and amatuer football teams, have bought over land at Birch Place in the town adjacent to their already established community hub at a price of £800.
The 1943 square metres grassed informal open space will be used to extend their current community activities in partnership with other local organisations and create a community food growing area, wild growing area and outdoor recreational space.
Academy chairman Jimmy Whelan was delighted to acquire the land.
He told Lanarkshire Live : "Following another long arduous journey, we are pleased to have succeeded in our purchase of the land opposite our community hub in Blantyre.
"Our outline plan is to fence off the area and create another more open community growing area to compliment our existing COVID Garden."
South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) approved the deal at a meeting of their Housing and Technical Resources Committee last month.
Back in 2019, SLC transferred ownership of the former Rowan Hall in Blantyre to the Soccer Academy at a price of just £1, from which it now operates a full-time community hub following a full renovation of the building.
Meanwhile, the Academy have announced that their annual Reamonn Gormley Memorial Festival will go ahead this year as planned, taking place over various dates in May and June.
Jimmy added: "We will kick off our Memorial Festival with a celebrity golf day on May 6.
"That will be followed by the sportsman’s dinner on May 20 and then our Reamonn Gormley Memorial Festival on the 4 and 5 of June.
"Having missed this vital fundraiser over the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic we are delighted to be back in action this summer."
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