The new synthetic pitch in Lerwick will be formally opened this week, with school groups among the first users of the all-weather facility.
The new pitch will be opened on Friday morning by Councillor Davie Sandison, Chair of the Council’s Education and Families Committee, alongside representatives from the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Rugby, as well as local clubs.
After the opening, pupils from Bells Brae and Sound Primary Schools, and Anderson High School will also have a chance to play some small-sided games on the new third generation (‘3G’) pitch.
Work on the £1.46M pitch began in April this year to construct the new pitch on the site of the former grass rugby pitch. The previous pitch was well used during the winter months, especially for rugby training and matches, but had no floodlighting and often experienced waterlogging after heavy rain.
The new all-weather pitch has much improved drainage and six LED lighting columns to illuminate the pitch, allowing for year-round use for football and rugby, for both training and matches. The new playing surface uses an infill material made from the cob of sweetcorn, as an organic and sustainable alternative to rubber crumb. This is the first full size pitch to use this product in Scotland.
The rugby pitch is 100 metres long by 68 metres wide, with H-shaped rugby posts permanently installed, and white pitch markings for rugby. The football pitch is 95 metres long by 68 metres wide, with yellow pitch markings for football. Moveable football goals can be placed either in front of the fixed rugby posts, or across the pitch for small sided training or games.
There is also a five-metre run-off zone around the whole pitch, with a spectator railing around the perimeter, two pitch-side team shelters with seating, and a storage container for pitch maintenance equipment.
After construction work was completed, the new pitch was tested against international governing body standards for artificial turf, to ensure it provides a consistent and safe playing surface. The pitch is now certified to both the FIFA Quality Mark for football and to World Rugby requirements, for rugby matches and training.
It is hoped that the longer playing season and availability of the pitch in almost all weather conditions will support the future growth of local football and rugby clubs for adults and juniors.
Councillors agreed in December 2024 to fund the project, with finance from a combination of sources – Shetland Islands Council (£690k), Scottish Football Association (£500k), sportscotland (£200k), Scottish Rugby Union (£50k), Shetland Football (£10k) and Shetland Rugby (£10k). The project is expected to be delivered within the original estimated budget of £1.46M.
The project has been led by the Sport and Leisure Service of Shetland Islands Council who will manage pitch bookings and future maintenance on the new pitch. The main contractor for the construction work has been Allsports Construction and Maintenance Ltd, based in Glasgow, plus local subcontractors, principally Shetland Plant Hire Ltd.
The new facility has been named ‘North Loch Park’ after the historic loch that existed on the same site for many years.
Davie Sandison, Chair of the Council’s Education & Families Committee said: “I’m really pleased to see this pitch now completed which has been a long-held ambition for many in our community. This will be a year-round sports facility, extending the playing season into the darker months of the year, and for people of all ages to use. I’d like to thank all those partners who have contributed funding towards the project, and all those who have been involved in the planning, design and construction. I really hope that this new pitch will contribute to keeping more people more active, and will help the sports groups who use it to thrive.”
Graeme Sutherland, North Regional Manager, Scottish Football Association said: “The Scottish FA have enjoyed a strong working relationship for nearly two decades with stakeholders across Shetland. This significant financial investment, through our partnership with the Department for Culture, Media & Sport in the UK Government, reaffirms our commitment to local communities, the people within them and the grassroots game we all love and enjoy. The new ‘North Loch Park’ adds an excellent sporting asset to the impressive facilities already available in Shetland and I’m confident that the local football community will benefit.”
Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said: "The new pitch opening in Lerwick is a significant development for sport in Shetland. We are facing challenging times with significant financial pressures at all levels. But thanks to the continued commitment of our local partners, projects like this one mean more people will have an opportunity to become physically active throughout the year and feel part of their local community."
Rudi Urbach, Area Director – Caledonia, Scottish Rugby said: “We’re working to develop sustainable partnerships with clubs and stakeholders to create opportunities for positive engagement in rugby. The partnership for this new project has delivered a world class pitch that will have long-lasting positive impacts for sport and physical activity in Shetland. This new facility will improve the quality of rugby training and game play for Shetland RFC, local schools, and visiting adult and youth teams playing both Regional and National league competitions. We want to develop players, coaches and match officials with access to high quality facilities and we thank all those involved in bringing the vision for this project to life."
The opening of the pitch will take place at 11.15am on Friday 12th December 2025. Members of the public are warmly invited to attend. There will be some short speeches before the pitch is formally opened for use.