Knightswood FC on why it fought to take over derelict pitches

Knightswood FC was granted a 25-year lease for Ashford Park in Yoker in February 2026, eight years after launching its initial bid to redevelop the site.

During that time, the club faced various setbacks, including the Covid-19 pandemic and having to restart the process after lockdown.

Angela Bitters, secretary of Knightswood FC, explained that “many people would have lost patience” by that stage, but that the “family-run” team refused to turn away any more kids due to a “lack of facilities”.

Angela Bitters (Image: Robert Perry)

She said: “We first started back in 2013 because there weren’t enough sports teams in the West End.

“At that time, we only had one age group, and ultimately, we saw more of a demand for grassroots football teams.

“This led us to where we are today, growing from one age group to having teams all the way through to semi-professional in the adult side.

“The biggest issue for us and the drive to do this was that we couldn’t get enough lets to facilitate for young kids, and we were having to turn them away because we didn’t have the space.

“That was not what we started this for.”

General view of the current pitch (Image: Robert Perry)

Youngsters playing football at Ashford Park (Image: Robert Perry)

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Knightswood FC now has more than 350 players across a variety of teams, including boys and girls aged three to 19, an amateur team, under 20s, and a first team in the West of Scotland Football League.

On any given week, the club hosts numerous training sessions and games, meaning grounds must be found to accommodate this.

Angela stated that sometimes she would be “sitting up until midnight” booking parks across the country, wherever there was availability.

This is said to have become “really unmanageable”.

Angela Bitters and her husband Gary Soave (Image: Robert Perry)

Angela added: “We have basically been travelling all over the place. Some of our teams play home games in Hamilton despite us being based in Glasgow.

“We go out everywhere just to get pitches as and when they’re available. It became really unmanageable, and I’ve seen myself sitting up to midnight booking parks from Monday to Sunday.

“We’ve been everywhere from Hamilton to Dumbarton to Toryglen. That had a massive financial impact on us.

“So taking over the pitches was a fight that we were willing to take on.”

Ashford Park was selected as the future base for Knightswood FC, as Angela noted many of its players come from areas surrounding it.

The pitches are located behind the former Yoker Sports Centre, which has also recently been taken over by the DRC Youth Project.

The club says it has big plans for the site, which would see it transformed into a “vibrant community hub”.

Ashford Park (Image: Robert Perry)

Ashford Park in Yoker (Image: Robert Perry)

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Angela commented: “Before it shut, a lot of our players were using the sports centre, and I inquired to find out why the pitches weren’t open and if there would be any availability.

“That conversation started back in 2018. So, we were in disbelief when we got the official email and realised ‘right this is actually happening now’.

“We were overwhelmed and excited, but we’ve still got a long way to go in terms of getting the funding in place so we can be successful and deliver what we said we would.

“We’re in the early stages just now. The kids need and deserve to have this facility open, but this is also for the community.

“During the day, we’re hoping organisations that we’ve reached out to will utilise the facility. We’re also hoping to run a breakfast club from the café.

“It’s just piecing everything together so that everybody benefits from this.”

Members of the team (Image: Robert Perry)

At present, Ashford Park features an ash pitch and a container with changing rooms inside it.

Angela says these will be removed and that a planning application has been submitted to Glasgow City Council to install modular buildings on the site, which will facilitate changing rooms, a meeting room, and physio rooms.

Proposals also include creating an all-weather astro pitch, home and away stands, and a café with a decking area for disabled supporters.

For further information on Knightswood FC, visit the club’s Facebook page HERE.