Castle Douglas will have its first 3G sports pitch by the end of the summer.
Threave Rovers Youth Development is in the process of upgrading the surface of the old multi-use games area at the town’s high school.
When work is completed in the next few weeks, Castle Douglas will no longer be the biggest town in the Stewartry without a 3G pitch.
And the club will be able to buy new equipment for the facility thanks to a £30,000 grant from The Holywood Trust.
Threave Rovers Youth Development officials Paul Stewart and Mark Geddes this week told the News of their delight at the project.
Mr Stewart, the vice chairman, said: “It’s brilliant for Castle Douglas.
“We fundraised for the old MUGA surface to be converted into an all-weather training facility because Castle Douglas is the only town in the region that doesn’t have a 3G facility.
“Kirkcudbright has them, Dalbeattie has them, even Dalry has them. Castle Douglas is the only place that doesn’t.
“At the moment we drive to Dalbeattie and hire that, which is a cost to the club and there are also the environmental aspects of parents driving from Castle Douglas to Dalbeattie five or six times a week.
“There’s that aspect and the fuel cost aspect.
“Now kids can cycle or walk up to the 3G training surface and we can use it all year round. A lot of the boys and girls couldn’t train in winter as the pitch was too muddy or frozen.
“Now we’ll have a training facility, good goals and all the equipment needed to maintain it through this grant funding.”
Threave Youths has around 250 boys and girls from under-15s through to under-17s. And it also now has an amateur team playing Sunday league.
The club took on the running of the sports facilities outside school hours last November after reaching a service level agreement with the council.
They now run the games hall, the artificial surface and the grass pitches which are all available for other clubs and groups to rent.
The Holywood Trust grant will help fund goals, storage facilities and a lawnmower to maintain the pitches, meaning the youths will be able to welcome teams from all over the region for football festivals as their site at Birkland Park isn’t big enough.
And it will also see the role of Mr Geddes, the youth development officer, transformed into facilities and development manager.
He said: “I’ve been in a funded position for a year as a development officer but that probably doesn’t scratch the surface as to what I do.
“Some of the funding will go towards keeping me in the position but as a facilities and development
manager.
“Between us, the council and the school we managed to raise enough funds to relay the MUGA.
“We can access it out of hours and the school can access it for PE.
“Kids can go up and use it at night and at weekends which is really good from my point of view as kids are getting access and able to play football.”
Although the 3G area will be used for training, winter fixtures in bad weather will still be in Dalbeattie as the new facility isn’t quite big enough for matches.
Director of The Holywood Trust Karen Ward Boyd said: “The Holywood Trust is delighted to be able to provide Threave Rovers Youth Development with a grant towards some equipment as well as supporting the development officer post.
“The group has been working hard over the last couple of years to develop pathways for its players.”
