Glasgow Girls FC has been granted permission to make pitches at Budhill Park in Baillieston their home ground.

As reported in the Evening Times, the club was given three portable changing rooms worth £30,000 from the Scottish Football Partnership.

Now Glasgow City Council and Land and Environmental Services have granted them permission to site the converted mobile units, which contain benches, toilets and wash basins, in the park.

It will mean that the 180 girls, from under-nines to seniors who regularly attend training sessions, will be able to host matches like professionals.

Jim Strathdee, who founded the club and coaches the under-17 team, said: "This is what we have been striving for for the past two years. The club has outgrown Greenfield Football Centre because we have nine girls' teams now so we need our own facility that we can manage.

"There is a brilliant atmosphere at the club now. It is the way forward for clubs to take over facilities that are not being used. This park has not been used for five years and it is right on our doorstep."

Jim said it would create a more professional atmosphere for the senior team.

He added: "We will train there three times a week. The girls will come in and have their own dressing room with their names beside their stuff and the training rooms will be done up professionally.

"For them to come and train on the ground where they are going to play it is a big help."

But the club, which was a finalist at this year's Evening Times Community Champions East Awards, still needs to raise a further £9000 to transform the unused pitches into a strong base.

Having already raised £8000 from promised grants, the club is urging businesses to dig deep to support them.

The money will be spent on preparing the ground and setting up all the utilities.

Jim says that as soon as the money is raised, the builders could have the pitches could be ready to use in five days.

Once they are up and running, local schools will also be given access to the facilities to play matches, there will be summer courses on offer and the club hopes to establish under-eight, under-nine and under-10 boys' teams .

Meanwhile, Glasgow Girls FC has been nominated for the 2012 Community Club of the Year in the Scottish Football Association's Grassroots Awards.

They are currently the only club in the city to achieve the SFA Quality Mark Community Award – the gold standard in football.

For more information about the club visit www.glasgowgirlsfc.com/.

matty.sutton@ heraldandtimes.co.uk