FIR PARK CORNER
Football club

HELP SAVE CASTLEHILL ROAD

PROJECT MISSION STATEMENT

We have been working tirelessly for the past four years with North Lanarkshire Council to have the site at Castlehill Road in Overtown transferred to us to allow us to renovate and regenerate it. The purpose of this is primarily to have a base for our club, encourage new members and start new teams in addition to our two adult teams and four children’s team that we have now. The reason we need this is because the football pitches & changing facilities in the surrounding areas have been very badly mismanaged over a sustained period, meaning there is a dire shortage of places to play matches.

Our aim is to invest heavily in the site to turn the current derelict eyesore into a thriving communal space for everyone to enjoy, both just as a welcoming green space but also as a hub for hosting occasional non-football events for the entire community.

We have engaged at great length with local businesses, community groups, MSPs, councillors and other football clubs and have received overwhelming support. We have also presented very detailed plans to NLC which prove a long track record for community-based and charitable activities as well as a financial backing and club infrastructure to offer reassurance that our plans will come to fruition. However, while we have never been presented with any practical reason for the transfer to not go ahead, we have been continually wrapped in red tape, had the goalposts moved and been passed from pillar to post consistently to the point that we now have no choice left but to reach out to the public to voice their support for our venture. Please consider completing our survey to save the site from further disrepair and, ultimately, save our club.

If anyone would like to hear more about our plans, ask any questions or raise any concerns, please get in touch. Thank you.

As well as fun and enjoyment, sports clubs bring great benefits to people and society.

Good quality, accessible, well-staffed and well-maintained health and leisure centres should be available to all, and outdoor playing fields should be protected. Spaces for physical activity should be accessible to those who don’t want to participate in competitive sport. 

The fantastic work Fir Park Corner have been doing in their local community for several years should not be underestimated. They have increased participation across a number of age groups and with the right support will continue for many years to come.

Gillian Mackay MSP, Green Party Spokesperson for Health & Social Care
As a local business owner, I wholeheartedly endorse the efforts of Fir Park Corner to revitalise the Castlehill Road site in Overtown.

Investing in community spaces like this not only improves the quality of life for residents but also fosters economic growth. By creating a hub for sports and community events, Fir Park Corner will attract more visitors to the area, benefiting local businesses and provide providing opportunities for people of all ages to engage in physical within the community. I fully support their vision and encourage others to do the same.

Nicole Rudder, G4 Claims and Garrion Tower Owner

Fir Park Corner have our full support in taking over the renovation and ongoing running of the Overtown site. They are a long-standing and valued member of our organisation and we applaud the community work they have done up until this point. We have no doubt acquiring this site will allow them to carry out more activities to enhance the local community.

We are also encouraged by the impact this will have on other members of our league who have previously been inconvenienced and let down when attempting to play matches in North Lanarkshire. Good luck to everyone involved

The Committee, IFA Supporters League

Playing football, or indeed any sport, is a great way to relieve stress and the grind of daily life. Fir Park Corner FC have made a huge difference to peoples lives over the years, from young budding footballers to the older generation looking to keep themselves fit and to socialise.

Physical activity, for all ages, has been proven to aid a person’s physical and mental health, and the work Fir Park Corner are carrying out should be praised. Outdoor playing fields should be encouraged in every town and city across Scotland.

Fir Park Corner have done some fantastic work over the years, growing from a few Motherwell fans having a game of football to where they are today.

Fir Park Corner have my full support in acquiring this site in Overtown and I look forward to them going from strength to strength and continuing to serve the community for many more years.

Marion Fellows SNP, MP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Spokesperson for Disabilities

Community Case for Site Development

MISSED POTENTIAL

There are currently no football teams based in the local area of any age group, despite significant investment in recent years in housing and in the expansion of the local high school. Approximately 12,000 people now live in the area shown below and over 600 students attend Clyde Valley High School on the same road as the proposed site.

STAY FIT AND HEALTHY

The physical and mental health benefits of being involved in organised sport are almost limitless, not to mention the economic impact to the local area of having large groups of people regularly visiting. Tom, Dick and Harrys coffee shop, the Old Toll petrol station and the local convenience stores would all have increased footfall of having multiple teams playing in Overtown regularly.

LOCAL SHARED SPACE

The area is surrounded by houses and the attached greenspace would become a shared space for local residents to enjoy, instead of the overgrown and unkempt eyesore that it is now.

Current Condition of Site

One of the risks of not applying community intervention to this asset would be the continuation of the deterioration shown here. Even just from an external view, the roof and guttering will need fully replaced, a boundary wall needs rebuilt, a massive amount of groundwork requires to be completed and both external doors need reinforced.

The full interior plumbing system will need replaced and damp has set in to the woodwork, meaning extensive joinery work will need to be carried out. Upon completion of this work, a full interior and exterior paint job will also be required and all relevant safety certificates will have to be obtained.

This work will take a significant amount of time and money to complete, and this will only continue to increase as it falls into further disrepair over time. There are no pavilions that have received anywhere near this level of investment in many years from North Lanarkshire Council and we have demonstrated both our ability and willingness to undertake this in the event of an asset transfer in order to replace the current eyesore with a valuable space to benefit the wider community.

Furthermore, removing the burden of trying to manage this site from NLC would allow them to afford more attention to the multiple pavilions in the area that require significantly smaller amounts of maintenance carried out in order to be reopened for use.

North Lanarkshire Sports Pitch Strategy

Phase 3 – A Shared Ambition for Integrated Community Facilities

The below are all featured in the above-titled Pitch Strategy Review, published on August 14th, 2018.

 

SAVE NORTH LANAKSHIRE SPORTS PITCH

SIGN now

CLUB MISSION STATEMENT

We exist to enhance the mental and physical wellbeing of as many people as possible in our local community with absolutely no discrimination or barriers, while remaining as competitive as possible in a sporting sense. We want to represent our area proudly on the pitch and off it, supporting local causes and charities both financially and through our actions.

SITE PHOTOS