Kilmarnock have outlined their plans for the construction of a brand new training facility in the town.
A public consultation process has been launched to progress the proposed development of a training complex.
The project is being led by Billy Bowie, who is the majority shareholder of the club.
The centre will be named 'The Bowie Park Training Facility', with the highly-successful Ayrshire businessman funding it.
The facility will be built with a view to creating a dedicated club training ground where Kilmarnock’s men’s, women’s and academy teams can develop within the same purpose-built environment.
Currently, as has been the case for the best part of the last decade, all of the club's players train at Rugby Park.
The proposal includes two five-a-side and two full-size pitches – one with an accompanying 500-seat stand – alongside a two-floor training facility building which features a gym, changing rooms, canteen/seminar room, offices and a players’ lounge.
In addition to helping to streamline the pathway from academy level to first team, the complex will provide a permanent home for Kilmarnock Women and the academy, with the stand holding the potential for expansion.
The proposed site is located East of the A77 between Kilmarnock and Crookedholm.
The club states that the location has been hand-picked to enhance integration opportunities with the community by ensuring that day-to-day training, across all levels of the club, remains in the local area for the long-term future.
Setting out his vision, Bowie commented: “Bringing first-team training back into the local area at Rugby Park has been integral in strengthening the connection between the team and our community in recent years.
"The next stage of our vision is to build a bespoke training facility, at the heart of our homeland, where our first-team and academy squads can develop side-by-side on a daily basis.
“The facility will lay the foundations to continue the club’s long-term growth, from grassroots level upwards, to ensure that we’re consistently progressing in the top-flight of Scottish football, in addition to competing in European competitions on a regular basis in years to come.”
Derek McInnes added: “The proposal demonstrates the ambition of Billy and the Directors, which was one of the main factors in committing my own future to the club.
“Purpose-built training facilities support the nurturing of academy and first-team talent, in addition to strengthening a reputation that will help to attract and retain a certain calibre of player.
"It’s important that those players feel connected to the community, and a dedicated club base in the town will enhance engagement opportunities with future generations who will go on to wear the blue and white stripes.”
Supporters collecting their Viaplay League Cup Semi-Final tickets on December 14 and 15 are being encouraged by the club to drop into the Killie Museum to view the plans.
