3G reasons to play at Braidholm

The opening ceremony was led by Ian Barr Vice President of the SRU and Brian Tracey president of GHARFC.

Also in attendance were Alex Edmunstone and Ailidh Hood, regional managers of the SRU(Glasgow North), and Marr President Stephen Allam.

The opening marked the culmination of three years intensive planning, research and fundraising by the club.

The management and trust committees began the arduous task of planning and building this state of the art surface to further the Braidholm club’s desire to improve facilities and enhance its involvement with the local community .

The pitch carries the house colours of JWF Process Solutions who are the principal sponsors of this new facility which is floodlit and meets both SRU and IRB International standards.

It was highly appropriate that the match to open the new facility was a 2nd XV game as this team is coached by Kenny Fairbairn, who also happens to be the chief executive of JWF Process Solutions. Kenny embodies the commitment of club members having been a member of the club since its Clarkston RFC days.

GHA believes that this 3G pitch is unique in Scottish Rugby as the first to be built through fundraising and sponsors and to be totally owned by the club without any school or council ownership aspect.

President Brian Tracey said that the facility will benefit not only GHA members but also the local community and is already proving very popular with local football teams and gaelic football teams. The new pitch should also safeguard the future of youth rugby at GHA by allowing training and playing on a first class surface even in wet and wintry conditions.