A game-changing indoor sports academy could open in Glenrothes within six months, The Courier can reveal.
Construction of the £2.3 million facility is to begin at the Michael Woods Centre on Monday, a move that is hoped could revolutionise training for football and rugby players throughout the town and beyond.
“It is really exciting that this is going ahead in Glenrothes,” said local councillor Bill Brown, chair of the Glenrothes area committee.
“It will give people across the whole area the opportunity to use a state-of-the-art facility and it also builds on everything already on offer at the Michael Woods Centre.
“It’s great that it can also be used by everyone year round, and also professional teams.
“Hundreds of young players are already benefiting from what the Glenrothes Strollers are doing at Overstenton Park, so this is adding to that and will make the area a real hub for football in the town.
“This new development fits in well to the Glenrothes Sports Strategy.
“We want to encourage people of all ages to get more involved in the wide range of sports available throughout the area.”
The new academy is to be built next to the existing running track at the Michael Woods Centre, a facility already used by Raith Rovers as a training ground.
Focusing on the grassroots of the game, the complex will play home to the Fife Football Performance Academy and the Fife Elite Football Academy.
Funding of £1.8 million for the centre has come from Fife Council, with a further £500,000 allocated from SportScotland.
Demand for the new facility is expected to be high, particularly in the winter months, when outdoor training is at the mercy of the weather.
At the heart of the new centre will be a 60×40 metre 3G playing surface, equivalent to the eight-a-side outdoor pitch currently in place at the Michael Woods Centre.
Although the complex will be smaller than the much-lauded Toryglen Football Academy near Hampden Park in Glasgow, this new facility is a first for Fife and a game-changer for the east of Scotland.
As well as amateur clubs, the new hall is expected to generate much interest from professional clubs, even those based outwith Fife, looking for top-class training facilities.
Councillor Mark Hood, chair of the Fife Sports Partnership, said: “This facility will have a particular focus on training and development with access for grassroots football programmes and clubs.
“I’m extremely pleased that we’re now at the construction stage on this exciting project.
“It’s set to be completed in September and I’m sure it will be a fantastic asset for Fife’s footballing and rugby communities from the offset.”
