Dundee and Stirling were left devastated after it was announced Scotland’s National Performance Centre for Sport (NPCS), will be located in Edinburgh.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who did not visit any of the sites in the running for the £25 million Scottish Government investment, said she accepted the unanimous recommendation from the NPCS Steering Group.
Dundee’s bid by the SNP-run council had received the backing of both of the city’s football clubs and universities. Dundee-based Labour MSP Jenny Marra had also kickstarted a campaign to bring the facilities, including a football academy, to Tayside.
Stirling’s bid had been through the city’s university, which already boasts an impressive sporting set-up. Dunblane-born tennis star, Andy Murray, had declared his support as did ex-Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.
The £30 million multi-sport centre will offer world class training facilities for individual athletes and squads, high performance coaching and cutting edge sports medicine.
The NPCS will support the high performance needs for football, rugby and volleyball while offering additional dedicated support to athletics, badminton, basketball, cricket, fencing, handball, hockey, netball, shinty and squash.
The site at Riccarton also offers an opportunity for future expansion. It will be operational by 2016.
Ms Sturgeon said: “The National Performance Centre for Sport will be the jewel in the crown for Scottish sport and help turn dreams into reality.
“It will be the best place for our elite athletes to mentally and physically prepare to compete on the world stage, helping more Scots win, more often.
“The Heriot Watt and City of Edinburgh Council team presented an inspiring vision which clearly demonstrated a positive commitment to developing high performance and a strong focus on partnership.
“I am confident they will deliver an iconic project, in a great setting, that takes Scottish sport onto a new level.
“Our vision for sport builds on the tremendous expertise at the sportscotland institute of sport and complements the increasing number of world-class facilities across Scotland where elite athletes are training, such as the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, the refurbished Royal
Commonwealth Pool, the Aberdeen Sports Arena and the Tollcross Aquatics Centre.”
Stewart Harris, chief executive of sportscotland, said: “Today is a very significant day for sport in Scotland as the National Performance Centre for Sport is a tremendous addition to Scotland’s sporting facilities.”
“This new multi-sport performance centre will complement the terrific facilities we already have in Scotland, and assist our high performance athletes in honing their skills and delivering on the world stage.”
A consolation prize for Dundee is the prospect of a multi-million-pound investment in a regional performance centre.
For full coverage and more on the regional performance centre plan, see Friday’s Courier or try ouronline edition.