K-Park Training Academy is a
training ground
A training ground is an area where professional association football teams prepare for matches, with activities primarily concentrating on skills and fitness. They also sometimes form part of a club's youth system, as clubs consider it important t ...
in the
St Leonards St Leonards may refer to:
Places Australia
*St Leonards, New South Wales
**St Leonards railway station
*St Leonards, Tasmania, suburb of Launceston
*St Leonards, Victoria
Canada
*St. Leonard's, Newfoundland and Labrador
New Zealand
* St L ...
area of
East Kilbride
East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) 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 rais ...
,
South Lanarkshire. It is located within the site of
Calderglen Country Park
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.
Description
The park opened officially ...
. It is the home ground of
Lowland Football League
The Scottish Lowland Football League (SLFL, commonly known as the Lowland League) is a senior football league based in central and southern Scotland. The league sits at level 5 on the Scottish football league system, acting as a feeder to the ...
team
East Kilbride
East Kilbride (; gd, Cille Bhrìghde an Ear ) 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 rais ...
.
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
Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...
-standard sports facility. Former
Rangers and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...
footballer
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch McCoist, (; born 24 September 1962) is a Scottish former footballer who has since worked as a manager and TV pundit.
McCoist began his playing career with Scottish club St Johnstone before moving to English side Sunderland in ...
, who is from East Kilbride, officially opened the first phase of the new facility on 25 September 2011.
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. The local rugby team
East Kilbride RFC
East Kilbride RFC are a rugby union side who are based in East Kilbride.
History
Established in 1968, their home games are played at Torrance House. The team currently compete in the and play all their home games at the Magnificent Torrance H ...
also train at the facility. K-Park was the home of
Celtic Women from March 2015 until July 2021.
Celtic reveal home ground for B team & Women's matches this season
The Herald, 22 July 2021
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
Rugby may refer to:
Sport
* Rugby football in many forms:
** Rugby league: 13 players per side
*** Masters Rugby League
*** Mod league
*** Rugby league nines
*** Rugby league sevens
*** Touch (sport)
*** Wheelchair rugby league
** Rugby union: 1 ...
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
Quartz is a hard, crystalline mineral composed of silica (silicon dioxide). The atoms are linked in a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon-oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall chemical form ...
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.
References
External links
Website of the K-Park Training Academy
{{Football venues in Scotland
Buildings and structures in East Kilbride
K-Park
Lowland Football League venues
Sports venues in South Lanarkshire
Sports venues completed in 2011
Celtic F.C. Women
East Kilbride F.C.
2011 establishments in Scotland
Scottish Women's Premier League venues