An Erskine man who has helped spearhead the careers of some of Scotland’s finest footballers has been awarded an MBE.
William Smith has been named a Member of the British Empire in King Charles’ first-ever New Year’s Honours List.
The pensioner has been recognised for his contribution to the Pollok community as chairman of Hillwood Football Club and Hillwood Community Trust.
Disgruntled with religious involvement in football, William founded Hillwood FC in 1966 in a bid to offer football training to all irrespective of their religious background.
It has been a breeding ground for talent ever since, with Alex McLeish, Kenny Burns and Tommy Coyne amongst the alumni.
As chairman of the club, William has dedicated the past 50 years to offering local youngsters a sporting outlet at the heart of their community.
And as chairman of Hillwood Community Hub, he has used the same dogged determination to raise the £1million needed to build the new state-of-the art football pitch at Priesthill.
Phase two of the ambitions project will see a community hub, with kitchen and dressing rooms for the club also built on site.
William – who has lived in Erskine since the 70s – told the Paisley Daily Express: “As far as I am concerned, this award is not just for me but for everyone involved in Hillwood Community Trust.
“The fundraising team, the great team of trustees, all of these people work hard to raise the money to get these projects finished.
“The officials at the football club are also putting in a tremendous amount of hard work and without that and everyone involved, I wouldn’t be able to do it.”
The all-weather football pitch opened at 2018 complete with floodlights and CCTV.
The community trust now hopes to create a community hub which will create indoor facilities not just for the footballers but the wider community including older people living nearby.
So far, £550,000 has been pledged to the ambitious scheme. But it is William’s love of the beautiful game and seeing that grow in young footballers that he is most proud of.
He said: “I think seeing young players come through is the thing I am most excited about.
“We get kids as young as three so to see their progress and to see them develop a love of the game and then go on to play internationally is great.”
Since starting the club in 1966, William has watched Hillwood FC lift the Scottish Cup 10 times, most recently in 2022.
It has come some way in the past 52 years, he says. “Away back in 1966 the only football available was linked to religion.
“If you were a Protestant you played with the Boys' Brigade and if you were Catholic you played with the Boys' Guild. I wanted to bring them both together as I believed there was no place for religion in sport.
“Since then, we have won the Scottish Cup several times and have seen many players go on to achieve great success at club level and internationally.”
A retired plumber to trade, William also thanked his family for their support and patience over the years as he attended football training and games all over the country.
Don't miss the latest Renfrewshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
