Community asset transfer

This legislation has encouraged local community football clubs to look at the possibility of transferring football pitches and changing rooms throughout the area and although South Lanarkshire Council is keen to work together with organisations to make this possible there are a number of matters that need to be considered.

Please read the Scottish Football Association (SFA) guide to Community Asset Transfer (CAT).

At present, we are not actively seeking to dispose of any football pitches, however, there is a recognition that the legislation encourages organisations to apply, and with this in mind, it is our hope that we can work together with applicants to ultimately provide the best possible service to the communities we serve.

There are a finite number of pitches within the South Lanarkshire area, and this is far outweighed by the number of community clubs. We encourage local clubs to link with other clubs nearby and consider a joined-up approach.

A strong example of partnership working, and CAT is the asset transfer of Kirktonholme in 2019 to East Kilbride United. We would encourage groups to look at this model.

Ownership of an asset can be financially onerous, and time-consuming. The authority must be satisfied that organisationally you have the ability to maintain and finance facilities that are subject to the transfer.

For example, if a pitch is leased out, can you maintain the surface to a playable standard every year, do you have the finance to purchase equipment and seeding, are you able to put money aside for a pitch replacement which will always be required down the line, do you have the money to keep the lights on in the changing rooms? It can be a large undertaking so the benefits and pitfalls have to be considered.

We would suggest that any club considering Community Asset Transfer has SFA quality marking in place and is a member of South Lanarkshire Council’s Club SL. These memberships greatly strengthen applications and provide comfort in knowing that clubs are being run to the highest standards.

Finally, we would ask all groups considering CAT to contact communityassets@southlanarkshire.gov.uk at the earliest opportunity to discuss the viability of their approach.

All applications are considered on the merits of the best value they offer against the existing or projected use by the authority.  It is important that discussions take place before the submission of the application to ensure that the applicant has the best chance of success.