Clyde staying put at Broadwood

The club recently admitted that it had been looking at a number of alternative sites, but had insisted that - despite media speculation - staying put at the Cumbernauld stadium had not been ruled out.

And now a new lease has been signed with North Lanarkshire Leisure (NLL) which will keep the club at Broadwood for the next five years with the chance to develop a permanent arrangement.

Welcoming the new deal, Clyde FC vice-chairman John Taylor said: “The new management team at NLL have shown a real commitment to the club over the last six months, and the deal gives both parties the opportunity to develop a new and more productive relationship.

“Meanwhile, with the full knowledge of NLL, we continue to pursue opportunities at three other potential locations, all designed to achieve to the club’s objective of securing a sustainable business and community model to safeguard the club’s future.”

Clyde manager Barry Ferguson added: “From a playing perspective, we are delighted to be remaining here at Broadwood and using the excellent facilities this stadium offers. It’s a great place to play football and we are looking forward to the future.”

Clyde moved to Broadwood in the mid-1990s but were known to be unhappy at a number of aspects of the arrangement, prompting the decision to look at alternative sites, including a possible move back to their historical homeland in Rutherglen.

However the club recently indicated a recent change of leadership at NLL has brought a change of approach that had returned Broadwood to being a very serious contender for their permanent home.

Councillor Barry McCulloch, chair of North Lanarkshire Leisure, said: “Over the years Broadwood has developed into a sporting hub of national significance, with tennis, BMX, gymnastics, rugby, martial arts, badminton and fitness all on offer, but football was where it all started and it remains a key part of the stadium’s offering. I look forward to working with the board of Clyde to pursue joint goals.”

Emma Walker, Managing Director of North Lanarkshire Leisure, added: “This new agreement is a win-win for both parties and we’ve shown that by working together we can support each other to achieve our shared objectives.”

John Taylor concluded: “Negotiations regarding the alignment of the club objectives with that of NLL are ongoing.

“These will remain confidential but NLL understand that if a sustainable business and community model can be established at Broadwood then there would be no need to leave an excellent stadium, which can rightly claim to be a developing and vibrant sporting community hub.”