PLANS have kicked off to create a new home for Rosyth FC and a training facility for Dunfermline Athletic at the former Rosyth Civil Service Club.

A case backing a facility – which could eventually also become an academy base for the Pars – has been submitted to the facilities' current operators.

Local councillor Tony Orton revealed the proposal while updating Rosyth Community Council of the plight of the Rosyth team who have been homeless for over three years at their monthly meeting on Tuesday.

"As a result of the civil service sports club closing, the land by the main roundabout where the two primary schools are, which is the civil service ground, may become available to assist Rosyth FC," he explained.

"I say that because it is part of a bigger possibility that involves Dunfermline Athletic FC. Dunfermline Athletic FC want to create both training facilities but also, in the long term, a football academy backed by European investment and hopefully on the grounds of the now closed civil service sports club.

"The situation at the moment is that the owners of the civil service sports club facility want to ensure that whatever happens to that land is for community, social and sports facilities and they have said that at the end of March, which we have passed, they are going to investigate the possibility around Rosyth amongst community organisations to see what possibilities there are that will fit with their ethos.

"Fife Council and local councillors have put forward a case to the civil service sports association, which is based in High Wycombe, to say that we would support the use of that land for the Rosyth Football Club in particular but also associated with Dunfermline Athletic

"We are now waiting to see what progress the association makes in their investigations locally or what other community/social/sports organisations might be involved. We will see how that progresses."

Rosyth FC have been without a permanent facility for around three years after agreeing with Fife Council to terminate their lease at Recreation Park, on Admiralty Road.

That came after the council, in 2016, accepted an offer to sell the land to allow for the development of a Lidl supermarket.

As part of the deal, the developer, Mactaggart and Mickel, was to provide the club with a like-for-like grass pitch, changing facilities, fencing and parking, which was to be situated at the Fleet Grounds.

However this has not yet been provided and is now in doubt because of the decision to build the new Inverkeithing High at the Fleet Grounds.

Club board member and assistant manager, Russell Craig, confirmed they had been involved in discussions about the Civil Service facility.

"We have been homeless for a number of years now. There is an opportunity with the civil service site that we have identified and are currently looking at," he said.

"It would be remiss of us if we didn't. At the end of the day, we are ultimately looking for a park. If that means working in partnership with Dunfermline Athletic then ultimately, we would be more than happy to proceed with that.

"At this stage, we have contacted the civil service and we are kind of awaiting a response in relation to the proposal."

No-one at the Civil Service Sports Council was available for comment on Wednesday.

Back in February, CSSC group operations director Wendy Eley told the Press that they would be undertaking work in the next few months to consider the future of the Rosyth site and facilities.

“It remains CSSC Ltd’s priority to ensure that, if viable, the local community can access facilities that promote health, wellbeing and physical activity, as well as enabling the activities for CSSC members to be retained," she said.

“We are incredibly grateful for all the support."

The Press contacted Dunfermline Athletic and Fife Council but they had not responded by the time we went to print.