Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Development Hub receive £100,000 from Sportscotland for project to create a football hub at unused pitches at Inverness Royal Academy
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Community Development Hub have received £100,000 to go towards creating a new football hub in the city.
Sportscotland have awarded the six-figure sum to the project to redevelop unused grass pitches at Inverness Royal Academy to create a football hub comprising one full-size match pitch, a variety of different pathway football pitches and a clubhouse and changing room.
The Trust plans to significantly improve the quality of the 10-acre grassed site through major drainage works as well provide changing rooms, toilets and an office for the ICT Community Development coaches, which will become their new base.
The redevelopment will create a home for the Trust’s outreach and community football activities.
The redevelopment will create a home for the club’s women and girls' academy, as well as all their outreach and community football activities.
It is also proposed the site will become the new home of North Caledonian League club Inverness Athletic.
The increased capacity the pitches will bring will allow the club to offer more opportunities for participation, particularly for disadvantaged communities, disengaged young people, women and girls, disability sport and walking football.
The cost of creating the project has been estimated previously being between £1-2 million pounds.
ICT Community Development manager Craig Masterton, said: “The sportcotland grant is very welcome and recognises our ambitions to breathe new life into a key grassed area in the heart of our city, which for a number of years has been underused due to major drainage problems.
"The regeneration allows the Trust to create a Community Hub, which will benefit a very wide range of community groups with quality accessible facilities.”
Avoch Community Rowing Club has received investment of £79,000 from Sportscotland to build a new boathouse including a multi-purpose training and maintenance space