Dundee has made the final shortlist to host Scotland’s first national performance centre for sport but there was disappointment for Perth, which is now out of the running.
Dundee City Council’s submission is to go through to the next stage of the selection process alongside a joint bid from Stirling’s university and council and a separate effort from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.
Dundee’s bid, which has been backed by city-born football star and Scotland international Charlie Adam, was one of the first to be put forward and identified, with Camperdown Country Park as the site for a sporting centre of excellence.
The local authority’s bid has been carried out in partnership with the city’s universities, football clubs, college and NHS Tayside.
It contained a raft of state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor facilities for a wide variety of sports as well as offices, meeting rooms and a 90-bedroom hotel.
Perth and Kinross Council’s partnership with former St Johnstone owner Geoff Brown to set aside a 30-hectare site at Ruthvenfield to the west of the city has now fallen.
It had hoped to challenge the other bidders for what is seen as a massive prize both for its economic impact and the kudos of hosting the new national football academy.
The accessibility of the Perth site allied with the “getaway” ambience of the countryside had been seen as a major strength.
The new national centre will seek to nurture sporting talent from across the disciplines with a national football academy at its heart drawing in top-class athletes and coaches and could bring millions of pounds worth of investment into the region.
Sports minister Shona Robison said: “Today is an important milestone for the delivery of the new national performance centre. It is clear that a lot of hard work has been carried out by all the bidders.”
For a full report, see Wednesday’s Courier or try our digital edition.