Ardrossan Winton Rovers to ground share with Kilbirnie

The news comes in an update provided by the club on the redevelopment work being carried out at Winton Park.

Work is under way on laying a state-of-the art synthetic surface at the ground after the Ardrossan Winton Rovers Community Interest Company, which is responsible for the management of the club, raised nearly £1 million to replace the previous grass surface.

(Image: Street View)

New floodlights and modular changing units will also be installed at Winton Park as part of the development.

Work on the project officially started on July 8, and is expected to last around 14 weeks, meaning the final stages will be completed in October.

And the club has now announced that their men's senior team will play their home matches at Valefield Park, home of fellow WoSFL First Division side Kilbirnie Ladeside, until the work at Winton Park is complete.

While it is not the perfect start to life in the new league for Winton, club officials have been quick to highlight the benefits the new-look Winton Park will provide once completed.

As part of the plans, local charity the Ardrossan Community Sports Club will take on a lease of the ground for the next 25-years.

The upgrade and lease agreement means that as well as Winton Rovers, and their associated sides, making use of Winton Park, it will also be available to the wider community. 

Winton will begin their season playing at Kilbirnie Ladeside's Valefield Park. (Image: MarkS/Geograph)

Chairman Pat Breen said: "Those people who managed the club understood that to be a true community club we needed to take action that would result in the recreational facilities at Winton Park being more available to the local community - in particular young footballers who needed to travel to other areas to train and to play their games. 

"We recognised that this was difficult for many within our area due to demands on time and in particular finances.

"We exist in one of the poorest areas in Scotland and we wanted to bring benefit to the area that would have a lasting effect.

"We surveyed local people, and they told us they wanted a synthetic surface with good floodlighting and changing facilities where their children and grandchildren, boys and girls, could not only take part in football but other activities without having to travel.

"Ardrossan Winton Rovers have put together the capital funding package and will therefore own the new facility, but to promote community use they will enter into a 25-year lease agreement with local charity Ardrossan Community Sports Hub."

The Winton chairman says the community sports hub's achievements elsewhere left the Winton board confident that the new arrangement will prove a success.

He continued: "Both organisations have similar aims and objectives, which are to create and improve the leisure and recreation facilities available within the local community.

"The club recognised the great work the Sports Hub have carried out in transforming the facility at their Seafield Gym, which has had a positive impact on social isolation, introduced children to a more active life, and improved local people’s physical and mental health.

"The success of the charity's work so far has given the football club confidence in entering into a long relationship which will give the sports hub and its experienced management group responsibility for overall facility management."

The deal will also see the hub take on the financial management, marketing and promotion of the facility, including managing bookings via their software system.

Work is underway at Winton Park. (Image: Submitted)

Mr Breen added: "The Sports Hub will promote the facility not just as a venue for football but as a venue where the community can meet and use for various activities such as walking football, rounders, netball, five-a-side leagues and summer camps, along with many other activities. The meeting and function rooms will also be available to the community.

"It is a huge step by the club to lease its park to the charity for 25-years, but we recognised the benefit to the local community and as a community interest company we have no doubt that we are taking the correct steps.

"Ardrossan has had a shortage of leisure and recreation facilities, and our partnership with Ardrossan Community Sports Hub will give local inhabitants facilities at Winton Park that that will promote better physical and mental health, and that local people can be proud of."

Winton start their First Division campaign with a local derby away to Kilwinning Rangers on Saturday, July 27, with their first 'home' game at Valefield Park due to be against last season's beaten Junior Cup finalists Arthurlie on Wednesday, July 31.