Harmony Row Youth Club Glasgow
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson came back to his roots to open officially a new youth centre for the team he started playing football with as a ten-year-old. Sir Alex began his career playing football with Harmony Row Youth Club, in Govan, Glasgow.
As Patron of Harmony Row, he and others had campaigned for 15 years to create much-needed new football facilities for the club. Their efforts paid off when Capital Shopping Centres, through Braehead Shopping Centre, donated 3.5 acres (1.42 hectares) of land and £460,000 to help build the youth facility.
There are around 300 members of Harmony Row Youth Club aged from six to adulthood playing football and netball with the club’s teams. The new pitch at the youth centre is similar to the surface used by Spartak Moscow and Celtic FC has trained at the centre before a Champions League qualifier game against the Russian side. Sir Alex Ferguson said: “It’s a dream come true that Harmony Row Youth Club now has a fantastic football pitch and centre.”
“And we thank people like Capital Shopping Centres who donated the land and a considerable sum of money to make the project happen, ERDC Group, the civil engineering company, who constructed the pitch and provide continued support, FieldTurf who produced the material for the pitch; Nike for their generous donation, and Purple Hotels and Speymill who refurbished the clubhouse.”
“This Youth Centre will benefit many young people and encourage them to become active in sport and develop their skills. I’m delighted it has become a reality and that Harmony Row has such a wonderful facility.”
Harmony Row chairperson, Agnes Nisbet said: “I am more than thrilled to see this place opening because I have seen our old building in Govan close and it has taken us 15 years to get a new youth centre. Now youngsters have a top-class facility along with a fantastic patron in Sir Alex Ferguson who will support them, there is no excuse for them not to get involved in sport.”
