The man driving plans to turn a disused bowling green into a new state-of-the-art community sports facility has pledged to bring a thousand hours of free football to local kids.
Ryan Docherty, a director of On the Ball Academy, insists the new hub planned for the old Danes Drive Bowls Park in Scotstoun will provide opportunities for children and their families to access and develop their sporting skills and unlock their potential.
The bid includes a brand new nine-a-side pitch – the first of its kind in Glasgow – which Ryan hopes to open up to offer local schools free access during term time and for other groups between 3pm and 6pm every day.
During a visit by the Clydebank Post, Ryan explained he is motivated to bring change to the area he grew up in after finding there was a continued lack of pitches for youngsters to kick a ball on.
He said: “My pledge is to get 1,000 hours of free football per year for kids in G12 and G13, completely free.
“I’ve stayed in the area all my life, and when I grew up, we never had a football pitch.
“And now we are working in the school and it’s the same. Nothing has changed.
“I’m like 25 years on and nothing has changed. So, I don’t want to get to a stage where we are 25 years further down the line and still nothing has changed.
“I have an opportunity here and I need to take the opportunity to make a change.”
On Saturday, July 1, On the Ball – a Glasgow football academy aimed at kids from all backgrounds – held a gala day at the site to show the local public their plans for the site and discuss any concerns people might have about the plans.
The idea is to lease the Danes Drive site from Glasgow City Council on an initial 20-year term.
Ryan revealed breaking ground is still some way off with a formal application expected to be made to the local authority’s planning committee in the autumn.
“We are going through the engagement phase at the moment, which is about getting out and speaking to local people,” Ryan continued.
“Just in terms of understanding; ‘what do you think of this? how can we make it better? what are the risks associated with it? parking? how do we fix that?’”
The sports facility will cost approximately £400,000, funded by private investment as well as grant funding from the likes of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and SportScotland.
And Ryan added he hopes the community will buy into his ambitions and will begin to take pride in the sports hub once it’s complete, policing it themselves if some try to use it for ulterior means.
“It’s going to be secure, there will be a secure fence.
“But what I am doing is trying to get all the local people onboard.
“I am empowering them to have a say in it. How do you want this to look? Do you want a fence? If you don’t want a fence you need to look after it. You can’t burn it.
“So, it’s to get them to take a bit of responsibility."
On the Ball Academy has teams in walking football, men’s mental health and the woman’s game.
Over 150 people attended the gala day, with 27 suggestions/improvements to the plans received and 20 footballs distributed to local kids.
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