Edinburgh clubs unite to keep the lights shining on their seasons

Three teams in the south of Edinburgh are coming together to ensure that the light doesn’t go out on their seasons this winter by raising funds for a new set of floodlights through a ‘last man standing’ competition.

Pentland Athletic on match day

Pentland Athletic, Royal Penicuik and Penicuik amateurs have been struggling to find accessible and affordable evening pitch spaces in their local community as the dark nights mean they have to be floodlit.

They are seeking to shine a light on the problem, which is due to a prior engagement that exists between Penicuik Athletic and the two available sites in the area - meaning that there are no available bookings for other clubs.

And after their activities were curbed at the height of the coronavirus lockdown, demand from teams across the Lothians for pitches has grown, with many struggling to fine a venue for training and matches with others priced out by rising costs.

Now the grassroots teams have come together to rent pitch space at Fusilier park, at Glencorse Barracks, for midweek training sessions and potentially matches in the future after the British Army base offered them use of their facilities.

But in order to make this workable the clubs will have to raise £2,800 between them for an affordable set of floodlights to illuminate the playing surface to allow matches to take place safely.

Gary Nicholson, 23, of Pentland Athletic, said: “We’d like to thank the Army for offering an affordable solution and to everyone who has taken part in our last man standing so far.“Securing the floodlights for the pitch means we will be able to access it at night and the benefit this brings to 60 odd guys across three teams' health is immense.”

Luka Coyle who plays for two of the three clubs and is heavily involved in grassroots football, said: “Getting the football back will be huge for everyone but especially for the guys who struggled a bit mentally during lockdown.”

Anyone wishing to get in contact to take part in the Last Man Standing should get in touch with:@Pentland FC @gary_nicholson on Twitter and Pentland Athletic FC on Facebook.

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