During the lockdown we may not have seen much action on the park, however, we have been working hard off it.
We been looking at how we can develop both on and off the park, and how, as a club, we see potential developments for the future and the structure of the football club. Some of those ideas and developments will encompass ground improvements and how they can be beneficial for the whole structure of the club as well as the teams within the Community Club whilst also adding benefits to the wider community of Carnoustie. We are looking to conclude talks on this over the next couple of months and look to put those plans in place.
Another major development has come about concerning the links with the Community Club teams and how that progression should and can look. Carnoustie Panmure have a pathway through the development stages, this is made up with Fun 4s, and then transitioning through to 7 a-side, 9 a-side, on to the 11 a-side youth teams with the opportunity to develop players to compete at with the amateur teams or with us and potentially, beyond that into the senior game. This is great and we are sure there will be ongoing developments in these areas and hopefully it can all be aligned with continued progression.
Also, within the Community Club, there are girls’ teams, and they can progress through the stages, with teams competing in the U9s through to U15s age groups, with potential options to recruit and involve younger girls into the introduction of football in which the girls’ coaches are working on just now. The main concern, however, was the pathway, it is in place for the boys’ game but nothing for the girls’ game within our setup. This was something that we discussed with the committee in the girls’ game last year, identifying an area to develop, however with restrictions it has made progression a bit difficult.
The major development is that these talks are now at an advanced stage and we have been working with the Head of Girls’ development Shona McKinnon, along with the coaches and committee members to progress the youth girls’ game into a full Ladies First Team that can compete within the respective leagues of the women’s game.
We believe that this is not only long overdue but a major step forward not only for the girls’ game but as a part of the Club Identity and the pathway we can offer alongside both the local and wider community opportunities for female sport.
The ideal scenario of the ground improvements is that the Ladies First team would play their fixtures at Laing Park and provide a clear pathway and opportunities within the girls’ game to progress.
We will continue keep you up to date with progress on developments mentioned as well as the other projects we are working on behind the scenes.
Hopefully, soon, we will be able to update you on the start of the new season
Mark Johnson
General Manager
Carnoustie Panmure FC
