What do "we" get out of the Games

IN 2014, Glasgow intends to host the Commonwealth Games. In 2007 and 2008, Glasgow intends to prepare for that great event by selling off football pitches at Maryhill Road, North Kelvinside; Acre Road, Summerston; and Cowlairs Park, Springburn.Pitches next to recently closed primary schools are also planned to be built over.

Normally cities which host international sporting events squander large sums of money on the razzmatazz - but at least leave their citizens with decent sports facilities as a leftover.

Sydney’s open-to-the-public Olympic swimming pool is world famous for producing swimming champions from out of the Australian working class. But Glasgow plans to buck the trend by being the first city to waste the money but at the same time cut public sports facilities.

SOLD OFF The plans are that a few sports facilities will get a much needed facelift – but many more will be sold off for private housing. And all this is under cover of preparation for the Commonwealth Games.

NORTH KELVINSIDE The pitches at Queen Margaret Drive / Maryhill Road are fully booked.

They are among the few around here with floodlights and changing rooms. But Queens Cross Housing Association has just lodged a planning application to build 100 flats – mostly expensive flats for private sale – on the site where North Kelvinside Secondary School stood. They want the pitches for private housing too. Glasgow City Council has just ruled those pitches ‘surplus to requirements’. What are young people meant to do, if they can’t play football? The Council puts money from land sales ahead of youth concerns.

STOP But we should be able to stop them. With a strong local campaign, a public local planning inquiry can be won Government rules are that pitches should not be closed without creation of new ‘like for like’ provision. And Clouston street is not new provision – that has always been a sports ground.

CLOUSTON STREET / ‘COMPENDIUM’ PARK The Clouston Street pitches are a great success story for the local community.

Ten years ago the Council tried to sell off the pitches for private housing. A huge local campaign forced a public local (planning) inquiry. The inquiry ruled that the Clouston Street pitches must be kept forever. But the victory was not that easy. Glasgow City Council were furious they had lost. They refused to re-open the changing rooms or even maintain the pitches. The pitches became covered with rubbish. Alcoholics and junkies moved in to the old changing rooms – with the Council turning a blind eye. The pitches became covered with used needles and broken bottles.

The City Council hoped to sicken people so much that they would agree to let the site be sold for housing. But local people would not give in. Now they have finally won. £1.25M is to be spent refurbishing Clouston Street Pitches. 20% of the site will be lost to private housing – through (who else!) Queens Cross Housing Association.

But the rest will become a new ‘Compendium Park’, with: a 7 a side football/hockey pitch three multi-courts team based changing accommodation floodlights cricket/golf nets extended jogging track, external fitness area/gym reflection zone for tai chi, yoga (!) climbing wall100m sprint track and warm up area.

The Burgh Angel says: “Well done to local campaigners! They are an example to us all of what can be done with enough determination and staying power. But refurbishment of Clouston Street is not a replacement for the North Kelvinside pitches – we need both facilities in use, just like they were ten years ago. Why should we settle for anything less?”

SAINT AUGUSTINE’S Eight years ago St. Augustine’s Secondary in Milton was closed. Within 48 hours the Council had moved in to demolish the attached swimming baths and changing rooms. The Council had heard that locals were planning to occupy them to save it for the community. A few weeks later, the Council granted planning permission to itself to sell off the entire St. Augustine’s playing fields for private housing. But local people wouldn’t stand for that. Clouston Street campaigners travelled over to offer planning advice. Partick Thistle – who trained on those pitches – gave their support. After a long campaign, a public local planning inquiry was granted. The inquiry lasted a full week – but in the end the Council was beaten. St. Augustine’s pitches were ordered saved forever. Again, the Council were furious. They left the pitches to rot, with no changing rooms, no goalposts, no maintenance. They hoped people would give up and allow the private housing. But local people kept fighting.


Should we start a campaign to oppose Glasgow 2014 because of the great football pitches sell off? We could tell Commonwealth Games Federation Chief Executive Officer Michael Hooper m.hooper@thecgf.com exactly what is going on, and ask him to refuse Glasgow’s 2014 bid because of that. But would that be going too far? Let us know what you think by contacting the Burgh Angel at: St. George’s X Chalkboard, 34 Clarendon Place G20 7PZ, Tel: 0141 332 2902