Friday 13th July, 2018 at 10:09am
Partick Thistle’s new training ground took a step closer to reality today with the announcement from developer Three Black Cats (TBC) that they have secured land outside Kirkintilloch, at Dryfield on Kirkintilloch Road. It was also announced that the new training ground will be known as McParland Park, in honour of Thistle legend David McParland
TBC entered in to an agreement with Thistle to build a new multi-million pound state-of-the-art training facility and lease it back to the Club. Following an extensive land search in four local authority areas, TBC has been successful in securing the land it wanted.
Making the announcement TBC Director, Colin Weir, said:
“We were looking for a long term investment opportunity and Thistle’s ongoing stability – through the Club management’s financial prudence and through the Board’s strong leadership – persuaded us that this development is a worthwhile investment. Regardless of relegation, that remains the case. It is an exciting project and we are delighted to have secured this 26 acre site. It remains our intention to have the facility completed and operational in 2019 and we will work closely with Thistle to ensure that it is fit for purpose, now and in the future.
”We haven’t wasted the time whilst securing the land – the design for the building and pitches is complete with only minor amends needed, we are in dialogue with suppliers who have been standing by and are ready to get to work and our planning application will be underway within four weeks.”
Welcoming the news, Thistle’s Chief Executive Gerry Britton said:
“This is fantastic news, another welcome boost for everyone associated with the Club. We continue to make progress on all fronts and this is just another piece of the jigsaw going forward.
“TBC asked us what we thought would be an appropriate name for the training ground and McParland Park was the obvious one. Davie McParland recognised the importance of youth development and training so it is fitting that it bears his name. Although he is not currently enjoying the best of health, Davie and his family are very proud to see him recognised by the Club he loves in this way.
“Although this has taken time to get here, there’s already been a lot of work done in terms of design and build for the training ground, which we have had a say in at every stage. That means that despite being over a year in to the project, the timeline for delivery remains unaffected. Once TBC applies for planning permission, we will be in a position to share the design plans with our fans so that they can see what the training ground is going to look like. More exciting times ahead for Thistle.”
