Glasgow City Link Up With East Dunbartonshire Council On New Stadium

Last updated : 06 July 2015 By ed_ScottishFitba

The Council and Glasgow City Foundation, the charitable element of Glasgow City Football Club, are entering into a formal agreement to explore the development of a joint sport and community wellbeing facility in Auchinairn, East Dunbartonshire. If plans go ahead as intimated, it will involve building the first purpose built women's football stadium in the UK and will be home to the Scottish Champions. Glasgow City is Scotland’s top women’s football club and one of the highest ranked sides in Europe.

C:WindowsTempphp3F75.tmpCouncillor Rhondda Geekie and City Captain Leanne Ross

During the Council's recent community consultation on the proposals, including an information session held at Auchinairn Primary last month, Glasgow City Foundation outlined its aims to advance public participation in sport, advance education, learning and employability, and provide recreational facilities for community participation – all closely aligned to East Dunbartonshire Council and Community Planning Partnerships approach to Place and the community facility and family centre being planned to deliver the Place agenda.  The agreement, in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding, was agreed at Council on 25 June and Council Leader Rhondda Geekie is delighted to be taking this next step. 

She said: "This agreement follows recent engagement with the local community to determine whether there was interest in working with Glasgow City Foundation to explore the potential for a sporting facility alongside our Place approach and the new community facilities we are planning for this area.  Through both the information session we held in May and the online survey we hosted on the Council website there was overwhelming support for the development of this proposal from those who took part.  Agreeing to this Memorandum of Understanding cements the commitment of both the Council and the Foundation to further develop the proposal."

Douglas Barnett, Chairperson of Glasgow City Foundation, also welcomed the agreement to progress this potential development.  He said: "We are delighted to be working with East Dunbartonshire Council and agreeing the Memorandum of Understanding is a great step forward.  Glasgow City Foundation was set up to make a difference and we believe Auchinairn affords a unique opportunity to use the success of our club, our players and our volunteers to inspire the local community to lead a positive, happy and healthy life.  Potentially this will be the first purpose-built women's football facility in the UK - promoting the sport to new generations of girls and women.  We look forward to continuing to work with the Council to help develop these exciting proposals."

Signing the agreed Memorandum of Understanding formalises the partnership between the Council and the Foundation - working towards the development of a new sporting facility, alongside the proposed community development for Auchinairn, and continuing to engage with the local community to shape this potential joint venture. 

Glasgow City Foundation are keen to hear from potential commercial and funding partners who may be interested in this unique development, the potential first of its kind in the UK. If interested, please email gcityfoundation@gmail.com