THE Cowden in the Community concept plans to work with local youth football set-ups to try to enhance facilities in the Central Fife area.

The Cowdenbeath Community Trust has been having discussions with Hearts of Beath and Blue Brazil Boys Club youth football set-ups based in Cowdenbeath, to see what can be done to improve facilities and provide the best possible opportunities for local youngsters to enjoy the game.

Cowdenbeath’s Community Trust director Tom Ewing explained that both the clubs run sides at every age group, but Hearts of Beath only have two pitches at Rowan Terrace and the Blue Brazil Boys Club are also limited with the number of pitches they have for their many teams at their ground in the southern end of the town.

“The Trust is hoping to form partnerships with local groups to search ways of increasing facilities,” said Tom.

“Improving facilities for football and other activities is something that the Trust can seek to do and having local clubs involved with the cause can be so important in aiming to find ways of achieving what is needed.

“Working with Fife Council and the Fife Leisure Trust is also so very important.”

Having activities affordable sport for all is a real goal for the Trust to aim for.

Added Tom: “The girls’ coaching courses at the Lumphinnans Hub was a remarkable success but it is important these sort of activities are affordable.

“Encouraging girls’ football is something the Trust is right behind and ultimately it would be good to have a Cowdenbeath Ladies team playing competitively.”

The Covid Pandemic saw a number of the Cowden in the Community projects put on hold in 2020 through restrictions such as the football camps which have been run by the club for many years.

The Central Park Community Trust was registered as a charity in Scotland in the early spring and is has been set up to support, develop and expand the existing programme as well as to make available the facilities at Central Park for community benefit and use.

Tom Ewing added: “The vision of The Central Park Community Trust is to become ‘A thriving sustainable, community focused organisation providing positive life enhancing experiences using sport, and football in particular, to help people throughout the Cowdenbeath area achieve their goals.”

Thoughts about how the five-a-side pitches at the Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre could be adapted to create a bigger facility is just one of the ideas in Trust minds and that is why partnerships are so important to them.