A Glasgow football club is going to be bringing the community together after cutting the ribbon on its new and improved pitch on Friday.

Pollok United (SSCIO) was first established back in 2011 as a grassroots football organisation, and over the last 13 years, the club has established a whopping 18 football teams for a range of ages and even runs a range of activities like armchair aerobics and sewing classes in the Corkerhill Community Hub.

(Image: Pictures taken by Gordon Terris, Newsquest)

(Image: Pictures by Gordon Terris, Newsquest)

The club acquired the Dennis Donnelly Park back in 2013, when the pitch was nothing but a derelict space of overgrown grass, which was mainly used by dog walkers.

Now, more than a decade on, the club has transformed the space into an all-weather AstroTurf pitch complete with changing rooms and floodlights.

Andy Elliot, club manager, said: "When we opened this, we thought 'right, it’s about affordability,' it’s about getting more kids involved and adults too.

"I play a lot of football, I’ve got guys now in their 70s going into their 80s who thought years ago they’d never be playing football again."

The club intend for the pitch to be used by anyone and everyone from walking football clubs, young ballers and school kids in the summer holidays. It can also be used to accommodate five-aside, seven-aside and nine-aside sessions.

Andy said: "It's amazing how many more people want to get involved now. Glasgow Clyde College, they use it during the day and at Nethercraigs (another facility used by Pollok United in the area).

"We’re always looking for new partnerships that we can form and every holiday, every school holiday, we’ll have the gates open. That way school kids are not having to do what we did in the old days of having to climb fences."

(Image: Andy Elliot with old picture of the ground, pictured by Gordon Terris.)

(Image: Old picture of the ground, pictured by Gordon Terris.) The space was previously owned by Glasgow City Council but was handed over to the club after they raised a whopping £300k with the help of partnerships and the Scottish Football Association (SFA).

Andy Gilchrist, regional manager of the SFA said: "This pitch is for the community, it’s for the people. The facility is fantastic but without the people it’s nothing."

(Image: Zubir Ahmed, pictured by Gordon Terris, Newsquest) Zubir Ahmed MP, who represents the Glasgow South West ward, says he hopes the transformed pitch will help make the next generation of children the healthiest in Scotland yet.

He told the Glasgow Times: "This is so good for the community and we need more of this.

"We want the next generation of kids to be the healthiest yet and to be the most active."

But Zubir also wants the pitch to benefit everyone of all ages.

He said: "As we know, activity at any age is good for you, especially if you’ve got ill health and fending off things like dementia."

Andy Elliot went on to praise Zubir and the government's help with clubs such as Pollok United.

He said: "There is some great news coming out now with the Labour Government with the funding they’re putting forward that allows third sector organisations like us to thrive.

"It’s certainly allowed Pollok United to grow, and hopefully that’ll continue for years to come. Again, I’m very fortunate with the staff and volunteers at Pollok United - we’ve got over 100 volunteers - they are the heartbeat of what happens on these pitches and in these facilities."

To find out more about Pollok FC, visit www.pollokunited.org.uk