Meeting of the Parliament 12 February 2026 [Draft]
I was about to say that I am not sighted on the proposals or the specific issues. From what has been said today, I understand that, although the City of Edinburgh Council is not being obstructive, it is not providing much active support to the club as it seeks to develop its plans. I also understand that the consequences of that could be profound. Through funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, another round of SFA grass-roots funding is becoming available, and I understand that the club wants to catch that. I urge partners such as the council, the leisure facilities and any interested businesses—because, for business, it is a good investment in the local community—to get around the table and work collaboratively to solve those challenges.
We recognise that the operators of facilities face significant challenge as rising operational, energy and building materials costs place a real strain on resources. I am not sure whether concern over that is what is preventing the City of Edinburgh Council from getting involved. The cost of protecting and maintaining the existing infrastructure and developing new facilities has increased and continues to do so at an unprecedented rate. Sportscotland has undertaken a review of the condition and long-term investment needs of the sporting facilities estate, which will provide us with a better understanding of the current condition of the wider estate across Scotland and enable us to collectively work together.
No one party has the solutions, and I guarantee that the Government is keen to work with partners to address the problems that will be identified. We want to ensure a more affordable, inclusive and sustainable sporting facilities estate that provides more and better opportunities and that removes barriers to people’s taking part. A huge investment from the Scottish Government and the national lottery, targeted by sportscotland, is going into facilities. Fundamentally, we want to support the unique reach of football and football clubs in Scottish society, to positively impact the physical and mental health and the wellbeing of our communities. We announced extra funding for football in the run-up to the world cup, to support those outcomes, as part of a summer of sport package. We are working with partners on proposals for that.
I reiterate that we must not underestimate the huge value of grass-roots clubs in their local communities. I wish Edinburgh South all the best with its plans, and I am more than happy to hear of future developments.