The Rosyth Community Sports Partnership (RSCP) confirmed they have been awarded the cash to put together a business plan which is set to be delivered to the council, sportscotland, the SFA and other external funders by September.

They hope to win support to turn the eight-hectare site, which the council bought from the Ministry of Defence for £133,000 last year, into an indoor and outdoor sports facility – including a new 3G artificial floodlit pitch and grass pitches – as well as provision for a woodland walk, complete with a children’s play area and picnic facilities.

Under the proposals, RCSP would lease the land from the council and run the facility and councillors gave the thumbs-up to a feasibility study last month.

Community sports and leisure consultancy firm PMR Leisure, who worked with East of Scotland football club Spartans to develop an SFA award-winning football academy, will now be tasked with putting forward a business case and RCSP chairman Jon Harrison said, “The council have kindly given us the money to engage PMR Leisure to deliver a business plan which we’re aiming to have in by September. It needs to link in with what will happen at Pitreavie; there’s money set aside there by Fife Council, sportscotland and the SFA, I believe, but, depending on what happens, they may decide there are other areas where they could invest. If so, we have to put up a very good case to tap into it.

“We will be looking for grants from the likes of sportscotland, the SFA and Big Lottery Fund but it doesn’t matter who we engage; they need to know how their money will be spent and see how it is invested. But we are very pleased because this is another box to tick off.” Mr Harrison continued, “It will still be a phased approach and the first will be to get the 3G pitch sorted and the grass pitches up and running. There has been some external maintenance done but it’s not as easy as waving a magic wand and having pitches ready. There’s eight hectares of land and the cheapest quote we’ve have for cutting the pitches is £19,000. Then you need to line them, buy goalposts, maintain them and have someone on site, so there is a bigger picture everyone needs to understand. It won’t happen overnight.

“But the waterfront announcement enhances our case because this is not a want but a need. We’re the fourth- or fifth-biggest town in Fife but, collectively, we only have two workable football pitches. We haven’t got anything but neither has Limekilns, Culross or Kincardine – where do they go?

“We need to move forward and it’d be great to cut the ribbon at the Fleet Grounds next year during the centenary of Rosyth.”