WEST FIFE has another ladies’ football team after Kelty Hearts announced that they have formed a side to compete in the Scottish Women’s Football League.

The ambitious New Central Park outfit, who in October became the 89th official member of the Scottish Football Association, launched a community arm of the club recently and a women’s team will be at its heart.

And they have moved quickly to appoint its first-ever management team, persuading Bayside Ladies head coach Chris Laird and his assistant, Bryan Simpson, to leave the side they led to the SWFL Division Two East title in October.

The newly-formed Kelty Hearts Community Club has outlined a vision of providing an inclusive player pathway from the age of three upwards, with key aims of retaining players and “becoming a conveyor belt for developing talent locally”.

They also want to provide one of the best “indoor and outdoor facilities in Scotland for the community”, be a “vibrant” hub for the village seven days a week and other initiatives such as over-35s football and walking football for over-50s.

Kelty also plan to introduce more girls’ teams and, in a statement, they said: “In only the first few days of the newly-formed Kelty Hearts Community Club, history will be made as the village of Kelty and Kelty Hearts will have their first-ever ladies’ team to cheer in the national Scottish Women’s Football League.

“Kelty Hearts CC have appointed successful management duo Chris Laird and Bryan Simpson as the new management team, who both guided Bayside Ladies to the SWFL Division Two East title last season.

“We would like to give a big Kelty welcome to the two men and to the anticipated squad that will be assembled.

“This will be the start of bringing girls’ and ladies’ football to Kelty, with more plans being made for girl youth teams.”

They will hope that the appointment of Laird and Simpson will provide the catalyst for success after they sealed an emphatic championship success earlier this year.

Bayside, in just their second season, romped to the title with two games to spare after a 7-0 hammering of Hutchison Vale Development clinched a remarkable 16th victory in as many games.

The sensational success came on the back of an agonising SWFL Division Two League Cup final defeat to Blackburn United and in a poignant year for Chris, who lost father Jim to colon cancer while mum Sheila was given the all-clear after a battle with lymphoma.

He told Press Sport that winning the league was a “great feeling” and that he hoped to keep his team together, but he has decided to move on.

On Twitter, he wrote: “A big thanks to Bayside Ladies FC for having Brian and myself for the last two years; it’s been an amazing experience and couldn’t have had a nicer bunch of ladies! A big thanks to Bayside for the support they have given us and allowed us the freedom to go and coach!”.

The club yesterday hosted an open training session for women aged 16 or over who have an interest in playing football or joining.