QUEENSBURY Celtic Football Club commemorated their 40th anniversary by opening a brand new clubhouse.

It was opened by delegates from the West Riding County FA at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Pit Lane.

The pavilion was made possible thanks to investment from the Premier League, The FA and Government's Football Foundation, who provided a grant of more than £350,000, plus local donations.

The project was undertaken to replace a dilapidated clubhouse that was originally designed as a chicken shed.

Queensbury Celtic secretary and board member Robin Naylor can’t wait to put the new facility to good use.

He said: “We want to make the facility inclusive for everyone, we want it to be a real staple for the community.

“We have between 250-300 juniors, boys and girls, ranging from the ages of five to 18 and we hope the pavilion will benefit each and every one of them in some way.”

The new pavilion is fitted with new changing rooms, kitchen facilities, a social cafe, space for meetings and training, as well as a lift which provides disabled access straight to the existing sports hall.

Robin was keen to point out the opportunities the new pavilion gives the club.

He said: “Now we have fantastic disabled access, so we will be able to start up disability and walking football at the club for the first time.

“We can hire out the pavilion for functions like kids parties, generating money for us to pump straight back into our grassroots junior set up.”

Paying tribute to those who have supported and funded the project, Robin said: “Thanks to all those who attended our new clubhouse opening ceremony and helped us celebrate providing 40 years of grassroots football for children and young people from our local communities.

"Big thanks also to the Premier League, The FA and Government’s funding through the Football Foundation and to Sovereign Healthcare, without this financial support the project would simply not have been possible.

“The new clubhouse is a fantastic 40th birthday present as it will ensure our continued provision of quality grassroots sport well into the foreseeable future.”

Robin puts the club's longevity down to their consistent delivery of quality football coaching and provision.

He explained: “We have lasted so long because what we offer our juniors is quality. We were one of the first clubs in Yorkshire to receive the highest FA chartered award and this pavilion shows the quality.

“We will also be bringing in a UEFA B coach to oversee our entire operation here and all children, from the mini-kickers right up to our teenagers, will benefit from this to no end.

“Along with our plans for disability and elderly football we want to expand our junior teams as well, particularly girls. we want to make the most of the fantastic Women’s World Cup we’ve just had.

“We just want to make the club sustainable for the next 40 years and beyond.”

Celtic were originally founded in 1979 by current chairman Arthur Peel and a group of local parents. Queensbury have over 20 junior football teams, who play in the Huddersfield Junior and West Ring Girls football leagues

Peel himself won the BBC (Yorkshire) Sports Personality Unsung Hero award in 2006 for his services to local football.

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “The support of the Premier League, The FA and government enables the Football Foundation to help improve community sports facilities like this one across the country. Their funding has played a key role in delivering this new changing pavilion in Bradford and I am delighted for everyone associated with Queensbury Celtic FC.

“This is one example we want to make people in Bradford aware of, that they have the kind of quality pitches and changing rooms that are taken for granted in other cities. We will continue to support projects nationwide, but we cannot do this on our own, so we are encouraging organisations in the area to join our movement to deliver quality football facilities for people in Bradford once and for all."