JIMMY JOHNSTONE LEGACY PROJECT DERAILED BY BUREAUCRACY
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Oct 12
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 13
It should have been a celebration of the legacy of arguably Celtic’s greatest ever player. Instead, last week’s ceremony to mark completion of the latest phase of modernization for Cathkin Park, former home of former football club Third Lanark FC, has left members of the Jimmy Johnstone Charitable Trust unsure as to where to go next.
Their plan to invest upwards of £600,000 into this project, which both the SFA and local government officials have already said will have a huge impact on grassroots football in Glasgow, is now indefinitely on hold.
Jimmy Johnstone Trust Investment Plan Falls Victim to Local Objections, Council Belligerence
The Jimmy Johnstone Charitable Trust had planned to further expand the facilities at Cathkin Park (now also going under the name “Second Hampden” by restoring the currently derelict tennis courts and sports grounds around the stadium. This would have seen an initial ￡200,000 investment, and the creation of a number of new jobs in the process.
As of last week, this plan is now considered cancelled, with little scope for reviving it under current regulations.
The Land Reform Act, according to another partner in the planned renewal, The City Charitable Trust, has thrown several proverbial spanners into the works. These relate to the “difficulties protecting and managing the site” produced by the Land Reform Act.
A small yet vocal minority of local residents have objected to the redevelopment of the site, and Glasgow City Council has seemingly caved to these demands.
The Land Reform Act of 2016, an amended version of a previous bill passed by the Scottish parliament in 2003, was supposed to encourage greater public oversight of how land purchases are made and managed in Scotland.
Instead, it just seems to have created a series of bureaucratic and logistical headaches for community projects like the Jimmy Johnstone Trust’s plans for Cathkin Park.
Chris Snee, representing the Jimmy Johnstone Charity Trust tried his best to speak diplomatically about what was clearly a source of great frustration at last week’s event.
He said: “While we are delighted to recognize the significant improvement made to the grass football pitch at Second Hampden Park (made possible through the invaluable cooperation of our partners at the Scottish FA and the City Charitable Trust) we remain disappointed by the way some parts of the community have responded to our wider ambition to contribute positively to the park’s existing sports facility development.“
Chris also addressed the fact that it is not just the Jimmy Johnstone Trust and young footballers who will lose out as a result of this farce. He also outlined other organizations whose involvement will now also be placed on hold.
He continued: “It is particularly disheartening that these developments were to be delivered alongside new partnerships with Holyrood Secondary School and enhanced participation with existing partners such as the Queen’s Park FC Foundation and Football Memories.
It’s not just about the future of football in the West of Scotland either. It is also about recognizing and paying homage to the past. Historic Scotland recently designated the site as a place of historical and cultural significance, confirming Cathkin Park’s iconic status in the long and storied history of Scottish Football.
Chris added: “It stands as a living reminder of Glasgow’s deep footballing roots, and it is our firm belief that this site should continue to be protected, cherished and used as a football venue for generations to come.”
You certainly won’t find any arguments from me here. On a personal note, during our first visit to Glasgow, my wife was genuinely amazed that a city as relatively small as Glasgow has enough passionate football fans to sustain 4 professional football clubs, and Rangers.
She was stunned when I told her: “Actually, there used to be even more.”
Cathkin Park, Second Hampden whatever you want to call it, is part of the living history of Glasgow and of Scottish football. I’m sure amidst all the fiddling going on at Glasgow City Council, they could find someway to move this project forward if they really wanted to.
It is in the interests of ALL football fans in the city that they do.
A Note from the Writer:
Friends, thank you all for reading the ACSOM Blog. If it’s not too much of an imposition, I have a favor to ask of your all.
This year, as I have done for the past 3 years, I am taking part in the “One Foot Forward Charitable Challenge. I will walk 500km during the month of October to raise money for Mental Health research.
If anyone would like contribute, you can do so at this link: https://www.onefootforward.org.au/fundraisers/LiamCarrigan/one-foot-forward
Thank you everyone. Even the smallest donation could make a massive difference.
