A WEST FIFE councillor is hoping that a move by Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts to play football matches in Dalgety Bay will lead to significant investment in sports facilities.

Cllr David Barratt, who represents the Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay ward, has outlined the case he is putting forward to Fife Council after Fife Sports and Leisure Trust (FSLT) agreed a long-term block-booking with the club to use facilities at Dalgety Bay Leisure Centre.

The club’s senior side, which play in the East of Scotland League, Premier Division, will play its home fixtures on the synthetic pitch at the Harbour Drive facility, in addition to using it for training purposes.

The move has sparked anger among regular pitch users who have been turfed out because of the deal and FLST have conceded that the arrangement “will have an impact on some regular block-booking”.

Kevin Shandley, of Craigievar Close, Dunfermline made a formal complaint to FSLT as his twin boys play for Bayside 05s.

He said: “Given that I have organised my diary around a Thursday evening from 8-9 this decision might in fact mean that the boys may no longer be able to play for the team. It would depend on what and where a booking for training can be secured. A booking further away would have logistical and financial implications for players and their families.

“I would also like to know how this decision was reached. I am sure the trust has agreed procedures that are fair and transparent when making decisions and the minutes are available for the public to see.

"In addition I wish to know how the trust argues that this decision meets any of it’s charitable objectives?”

Dalgety Bay and Hillend Community Council were also aware of people’s feelings on the issue, and a spokesperson told the Press: “We sorry to hear that other clubs hAs a community council, we would back the idea of turning the old high school in Inverkeithing once the new High School moves to Rosyth into a major sporting hub similar to the Michael Woods Centre in Glenrothes, featuring a new full size 3G pitch, three swimming pools and other sporting facilities that people of Dalgety Bay and the surrounding area have asking for years.

“The situation in South West Fife regarding sporting facilities is only going to get worse as well with the all proposed house building that is going to happen in the area over the next couple of years.”

Cllr Barratt said: “I can understand it from a business point of view for the trust,” he explained.

“It’s extremely unfortunate the impact that it’s had on other clubs, particularly local clubs like Inverkeithing United and the Dalgety Bay-based Bayside as well, that had existing bookings and they’ve now been cancelled and they’ll be displaced as a result of that.

“It highlights the wider problem that we’ve been dealing with before this issue came up with the Swifts and Dalgety Bay, that there simply isn’t adequate provision of sports facilities in the area for all the different clubs that there are.

“All the different clubs want access to the same kinds of pitches at the same times. They want weekday evenings and weekends during the day and, as it stands, there isn’t enough for that.

“One of the things I’ve already been discussing with officers is to try and get investment in local sports pitches, and particularly in Inverkeithing, where there isn’t a large, high-quality 3G pitch.

"That’s my focus at the moment; to try and wrangle some investment if I can to remedy the situation and work with the clubs as best as possible to meet what needs they have.

“The Swifts are an ambitious club and they do a huge amount of good. They work with a large number of kids and young people, so I totally get it from their point of view as well.

“The Dalgety Bay Sports and Leisure Centre has great facilities and it makes perfect sense for the Swifts to be making more use of it.

“To some extent, it was underused before, I think the grievance is that it has displaced existing bookings so it’s not just been a case of filling the vacant slots, it’s resulted in others being displaced.

“Hopefully, we’ll reach a point that that can be resolved. I’ve said this to both clubs that I’ve spoken to in detail – Inverkeithing United and Bayside – that, longer-term, the issues that this has caused allows me to go to (council) officers and put a wee bit more pressure on and say, look, we really need this investment in the area, particularly for Inverkeithing.”

Craig Reid, chairman of Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts, acknowledged that there was a challenge locally for clubs to find suitable facilities.

He said that the Swifts, which has more than 400 members across 20 age groups, are keen to work with FSLT to develop the venue into a community hub and increase sporting opportunities, but also said that it was a crucial move for their continued development on the pitch.

Mr Reid explained that, due to ground criteria, their previous home, at Ballast Bank, wouldn’t allow them to be promoted to the Lowland League – tier five in the Scottish senior football pyramid – without significant investment and work completed to it, which would also stifle ambitions to play in the Scottish Cup.

“We work closely with a lot of local clubs where we can and, from a sporting perspective and a community perspective, we all know that there’s difficulties and challenges across the South-West Fife villages in regards to facilities. It’s not easy,” he said.

“It’s an opportunity for both the Fife Sports and Leisure Trust and the Swifts to work together to make sure that our charitable objectives are achieved, which is participation in sport, first and foremost, and allows us to work closely together with FSLT to develop the facility and the community offering for everyone in the South-West Fife villages.

"It also allows us to work together where two heads are better than one to develop the facility further. Not just as in what it means for football, but potentially gym usage, gym hall usage and further developments in that area to turn it more into a community-type hub.

“It’s massively exciting for us. We’ve said all along – we do not have sole use of the whole facility. There are still teams playing in there, there’s still other groups using the facility, but where we can, we’re going to work very closely with FSLT to develop it even further for, one, the members of the club, but two, the benefit of the wider community.

“From the club’s perspective, it’s an investment. Long-term, we could’ve been kicked out of the leagues, and we wouldn’t have been able to attract the players that we could potentially attract going forward, and it allows us to really form an identity in a single location.”

A Fife Sports and Leisure Trust spokesperson said: “Fife Sports and Leisure Trust is reviewing its outdoor pitch availability and capacity to maximize options and deliver the best solutions for local users.

“The move comes as the trust has recently agreed a long-term booking with Inverkeithing Hillfield Swifts Community Club to use the Dalgety Bay Leisure Centre synthetic turf pitches (STPs).

"The Swifts are a registered charity with strong community ties – it hosts teams with 20 different age groups, ranging from pre-school up to senior level. The senior men’s team play in tier 6 of the professional Scottish football pyramid system with a semi-professional set-up. The Swifts are also a Scottish Football Association Legacy Quality Marked community football club.

“As part of the long-term sustainability of facilities, the trust is maximizing the use of STPs in the area. In particular, the long-term booking with the Swifts gives a year-round commitment and makes use of traditionally quieter summer months as well as off-peak times.

"The long-term booking does not give the club exclusive access to Dalgety Bay Leisure Centre’s STPs but will have an impact on some regular block-booking.

"The trust’s teams are actively engaging with those who have regular block-bookings at Dalgety Bay Leisure Centre to offer flexible and convenient time slots and are confident that satisfactory outcomes will be secured for users.

“The agreement with the Swifts is part of the trust’s long-term track record in supporting local clubs and performance athletes to create development pathways and opportunities for local talent.”