In a new partnership deal confirmed today between Scottish Rugby, Glasgow City Council and Culture and Sport Glasgow, the new complex will be the training base of the city’s only professional rugby team and will also become a centre of excellence for rugby and a hub for rugby development as part of the Glasgow City development plan for the sport.
Sean said: “Our proposed move to Scotstoun in June 2010 will provide the club with a home for its players, coaches and staff in a location where they have all the facilities they require. We will, however, continue to play our home matches at Firhill’’.
Scottish Rugby’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Dominic McKay added: “Scottish Rugby has shown that it is fully committed to rugby in Glasgow and we look forward to working alongside Culture and Sport Glasgow and Glasgow City Council to help the region fully embrace the Warriors and the sport of rugby throughout the wider community.”
The £17.6 million redevelopment of Scotstoun Stadium is due to be completed in the autumn - and a £1.3 million extension of the adjoining Leisure Centre will be completed at the end of the year. The new facilities will include new grandstands, indoor athletics training facilities, refurbishment of the outdoor 400 metre athletics track and in the centre, an extension of the cafe, reception and foyer areas and new fitness suite facilities.
Sean, added: “The plans for Scotstoun look fantastic. It’s a world class facility and I’m delighted it will be the new training base of Glasgow Warriors.
“We are a club on the up and to have direct access to both grass pitches and an all-weather surface here in addition to all strength, conditioning and medical facilities is a major boost to our future ambitions. We have world class players here and we will soon have the facilities to match.”
Culture and Sport Glasgow, along with Scottish Rugby, has been developing a wider partnership and this announcement for Glasgow Warriors is the first initiative in this new relationship.
Culture and Sport Glasgow and Scottish Rugby will continue to work together to ensure that the sport of rugby is promoted extensively across Glasgow in the build up to the Commonwealth Games in 2014 – where rugby sevens will be a core sport – and beyond.
As a result, Glasgow Warriors will have greater access to community sports development with access to the 20,000 members of the Glasgow Club - Scotland's biggest health and fitness club.
Councillor Archie Graham, Executive Member for Commonwealth Games delivery at Glasgow City Council, also added his name to the list of ringing endorsements for Scottish Rugby’s investment in Scotstoun as he and the city gears up for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.
He said. “I have no doubt that this partnership will be good for Glasgow rugby and good for our plans to develop sport at elite and grass-roots level in the run-up to hosting the Games in 2014."
The facilities that the Warriors will have access to at Scotstoun include: A grass training pitch, a 3G all-weather training pitch, a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning suite, a 100m indoor running track, office space, a physiotherapy/medical suite, changing rooms, a players’ lounge and a meeting/video analysis room.