K-Park Training Academy

Last updated

K-Park Training Academy
K-Park Training Academy
Location St Leonards, East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire
Coordinates 55°45′02″N4°08′50″W / 55.750426°N 4.147328°W / 55.750426; -4.147328
OwnerEast Kilbride Community Trust
Surface Third Generation synthetic pitches
OpenedMay 2011
Tenants
East Kilbride F.C. (2011–present)
Celtic F.C. Women (2015–2021)
Motherwell F.C. Women (2023–present)

K-Park Training Academy is a training ground in the St Leonards area of East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire. It is located within the site of Calderglen Country Park. It is the home ground of Lowland Football League team East Kilbride.

Contents

History

K-Park was opened in May 2011 by the East Kilbride Community Trust (EKCT), who had previously drawn up plans that would give the large town a top-quality, UEFA-standard sports facility. [1] Former Rangers and Scotland footballer Ally McCoist, who is from East Kilbride, officially opened the first phase of the new facility on 25 September 2011. [2] [3]

K-Park is used as the home ground for the newly formed football club East Kilbride F.C., who were founded in 2010, one year before the facility's official opening. They will play their first league matches at the venue before relocating to a proposed site near Langlands Golf Course. [4] The local rugby team East Kilbride RFC also train at the facility. K-Park was the home of Celtic Women from March 2015 [5] until July 2021. [6]

Structure and facilities

It is mainly Third Generation synthetic football pitches that are at the facility, used by local clubs and clubs from the Scottish Football League. The parks are also easily convertible for rugby training.

The pitches at K-Park (of which there is one 11-a-side pitch and two 7-a-sides) are unusual, in that they consist of a mixture of quartz sand and rubber granules. This is to reduce the likelihood of an injury sustained or lower the impact of a fall, as well as allowing better ball control for the players that use the facility.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangers F.C.</span> Association football club in Glasgow, Scotland

Rangers Football Club is a professional football club in Glasgow, Scotland. The team competes in the Scottish Premiership, the top division of Scottish football. Although not its official name, the club is often referred to as Glasgow Rangers outside Scotland. The fourth-oldest football club in Scotland, Rangers was founded by four teenage boys as they walked through West End Park in March 1872 where they discussed the idea of forming a football club, and played its first match against the now defunct Callander at the Fleshers' Haugh area of Glasgow Green in May of the same year. Rangers' home ground, Ibrox Stadium, designed by stadium architect Archibald Leitch and opened in 1929, is a Category B listed building and the third-largest football stadium in Scotland. The club has always played in royal blue shirts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Kilbride</span> Town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland

East Kilbride is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. It was also designated Scotland's first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on a raised plateau to the south of the Cathkin Braes, about eight miles southeast of Glasgow and close to the boundary with East Renfrewshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilmarnock F.C.</span> Association football club in Kilmarnock, Scotland

Kilmarnock Football Club, commonly known as Killie, is a Scottish professional football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire. The team is currently managed by Derek McInnes, who was appointed in January 2022. The club has achieved several honours since its formation in 1869, most recently the 2011–12 Scottish League Cup after a 1–0 win over Celtic at Hampden Park and the Scottish Championship title in 2022. The club nickname, Killie, is the Scottish term for the town of Kilmarnock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St James' Park</span> Football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England

St James' Park is a football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United. With a seating capacity of 52,350 seats, it is the 8th largest football stadium in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ally McCoist</span> Scottish footballer, manager, and pundit

Alistair Murdoch McCoist, is a Scottish former footballer who has since worked as a manager and TV pundit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rugby Park</span> Football stadium in Kilmarnock, Scotland

Rugby Park, also known as The BBSP Stadium Rugby Park for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium which is the home of Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock F.C. and is situated in the Scottish town of Kilmarnock. With a capacity of 15,003, it is the 7th–largest football stadium in Scotland, and was first used in 1899, also having been used for concerts, rugby union and international football fixtures. The stadium underwent a major redevelopment in 1994–1995, becoming an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 18,128. In 2002, the club constructed the Park Hotel, a 4-star hotel complex next to the ground.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkhead</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Parkhead is a district in the East End of Glasgow. Its name comes from a small weaving hamlet at the meeting place of the Great Eastern Road and Westmuir Street. Glasgow's Eastern Necropolis cemetery was laid out in the area in 1847 beside the Gallowgate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangers Training Centre</span>

The Rangers Training Centre is the training ground of Rangers located in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It was opened in 2001 and originally named Murray Park after the then Rangers owner David Murray. It is also often referred to as Auchenhowie, the name of the locality within Milngavie where it is situated.

The Excelsior Stadium is a football stadium in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the home ground of Airdrieonians of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL). Since the 2021–22 season it has also been used by Celtic for the home matches of their women's team in the Scottish Women's Premier League (SWPL) and B team in the Scottish Lowland Football League, as well as by Glasgow University F.C. of the West of Scotland Football League. It is an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 10,101, and has a 3G artificial surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadwood Stadium</span> Football stadium

Broadwood Stadium is a multi-use community stadium and sports complex in the Westfield area of Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire. The stadium is currently the home of Cumbernauld Colts of the Scottish Lowland Football League, as well as Rangers W.F.C of the Scottish Women's Premier League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melwood</span> Liverpool Football Club training ground

AXA Melwood Training Centre, in West Derby, Liverpool is the training ground and academy for Liverpool Football Club's Women's first team, youth teams and academy. It was formerly the men's first team's training ground from the 1950s until November 2020. It was not attached to The Liverpool F.C. Academy, which is at Kirkby. Melwood was bought by affordable housing development company Torus in 2019, as Liverpool invested in the Kirkby training ground so the First Team and Academy could train together, with increased space and better facilities. Liverpool's First Team and Academy have trained at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby since November 2020. Liverpool's plans to move in the summer of 2020 had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was repurchased by the club in June 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennoxtown training centre</span>

Lennoxtown Training Centre is Celtic F.C.'s training centre, located at Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire in Scotland. The complex houses the club's training and educational facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey Fields</span> Multi-sports complex

Casey Fields is a $30 million, 70 hectare multi-sports complex in the City of Casey at Cranbourne East a southeastern suburb of Melbourne. The complex is home to Australian rules football, cricket, netball, soccer, tennis, cycling, golf, and rugby football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calderglen High School</span> Public school in East Kilbride, Scotland

Calderglen High School is a state-run secondary school in the St Leonards area of the Scottish new town East Kilbride, in South Lanarkshire. The complex of buildings is situated on the precipitous bank of the Rotten Calder Water, overlooking a meander named the 'School Bend'. The school derives its name from the Calder Glen (gorge) which the river occupies, which is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). The school has a potential pupil roll of approximately 1800, with 130 teachers, making it one of the largest secondary institutions in Europe. The school's houses are named Jura, Uist, Harris, Tiree and Lewis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celtic F.C. Women</span> Football club

Celtic Football Club Women is a Scottish professional association football team, the women's section of Celtic Football Club. They play in the Scottish Women's Premier League, the top division of women's football in Scotland. They compete as Celtic FC, and are normally called the 'women's first team' within the club. In December 2018 they announced their intentions to become the first professional women's football team in Scotland with the transition completed in January 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalziel Park</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Dalziel Park is an area located between the villages of Carfin, Cleland and Newarthill in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Other nearby settlements include the large town of Motherwell and the new town of Ravenscraig. The area consists of a residential estate, a sports facility, a golf course and a clubhouse. It is also used as the home venue for the local rugby team Dalziel, as well as the training ground for the local professional football team Motherwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George's Park National Football Centre</span> English football training ground

St George's Park (SGP) is the English Football Association's national football centre (NFC) built on a 330-acre (130 ha) site at Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The centre was officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on 9 October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Kilbride F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

East Kilbride Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. They are members of the Lowland Football League, in the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system.

The 2016–17 Scottish Cup was the 132nd season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The tournament was sponsored by bookmaker William Hill in what was the sixth season of a nine-year partnership, after contract negotiations saw the initial five-year contract extended for an additional four years in October 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calderglen Country Park</span> Country park in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK

Calderglen Country Park is a country park in the town of East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is situated along the eastern edge of the town and is its principal greenspace and recreation area.

References

  1. Plans for football complex in Calderglen Country Park are on show, Daily Record, 21 October 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2022
  2. "The Official Opening of K-Park Training Academy". East Kilbride Community Trust. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  3. "McCoist to kick off the K-Park spectacular". K-Park Official Website. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  4. "East Kilbride Football Club announces plans to bring senior football to East Kilbride". K-Park Official Website. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  5. "New home will give Celtic women's team a platform for season ahead". Celtic F.C. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  6. Celtic reveal home ground for B team & Women's matches this season, The Herald, 22 July 2021