GlaxoSmithKline’s pharmaceutical manufacturing site at Montrose has donated £10,000 for the development of football in the town, from youth to senior level.
It is a further boost to the £250,000 the company donated four years ago to redevelop Montrose FC’s Links Park, which included an all-weather pitch.
The latest donation will enable players from Montrose Youth FC, Montrose Roselea JFC and Merpro AFC to train at Links Park free.
“As a pharmaceutical company, much of GSK’s major sponsorship is concerned with the promotion of health and fitness, and supporting the development of football in the town at all levels is very much in keeping with this philosophy,” said Montrose site director Dave Tudor.
“We were keen with the original donation that Links Park should be used more for community activities, particularly for young people and women’s sports, and this aspect has been very successful.”
He added, “The latest donation builds on this, and by enabling local soccer teams to have closer association with Montrose FC hopefully homegrown talent will feed through to the Scottish Football League division three side.”
Montrose FC chairman Derek Sim said that the GSK donation was much appreciated and would help maintain the facilities at Links Park, which were much improved following the £600,000 major refurbishment programme in 2007.
“Maintaining facilities such as we have at Links Park requires a constant stream of revenue, and GSK’s latest generous donation will be a great help, as well as encouraging the development of local soccer,” he said.