David Smith says his latest Somerset project will be his most ambitious yet.
The United chairman plans to build a training complex and gym on land behind the Railway End, which he has purchased for the club as part of a landmark deal.
The giant eight acre site comes with huge potential, says Smith, with possible developments which could “outlive my tenure here,” he revealed.
A significant six figure sum has been invested by Smith himself in doing a deal with German transport firm DB Cargo to acquire the land, which now unlocks the next exciting chapter in United’s history.
Smith told the Ayrshire Post: “It’s felt like a long time to get here but now that we are, it’s hugely exciting. Without doubt, this project should be the biggest of my time here.
“It’s going to take a long time to realise the full potential and many years to develop what we want on the site. The priority is a new gym and training complex – we’ll have a brainstorming session to see what other possibilities and operational opportunities could come from there. It’s something of a blank canvas.
“The main thing is that Ayr United will have everything on site and the club can be self sufficient in that regard. That is a pretty big deal in my opinion and probably pretty unique in the Scottish football landscape.
“Building the likes of a traning complex and gym at the stadium makes the club a far more attractive option to people coming here. We’re also looking at bringing in other things that not a lot of other clubs have got that will stand us apart…potentially better facilities around injury recovery and things that will be a huge positive for the club.”
Smith says his long-held ambition of placing the club’s entire operation in-house takes the Honest Men to the next level as they strive towards the Premier League.
He added: “Building the Hub was a prime example of being able to bring in real quality people that we would never have been able to get to this club before. All of the things from fixing the car park to the lick of paint on the stand…they all help in terms of encouraging people to come and play here or work here and this is the latest step.
“This is another tangible building block in place for when I’m gone – not that I’m planning on leaving anytime soon! But this landscape and infrastructure will all be there long after I’ve gone and that’s the main thing.
“It’s reassuring for everyone that we’re not even close to finishing this journey. It provides the confidence that we’re not stopping at building a stand – we’re pushing on and looking to progress up through the leagues and hopefully the fans can see that as well. This is just another part of the jigsaw of how we get to the top tier of football.
“It’s been a decent journey so far, it will be four years this month since I came in, and this was one of the things that I wanted to do when I came in. Three and a half years ago I contacted DB Cargo to set about getting this done and as a multi-national firm who have bigger fish to fry, they have been very accommodating in getting this deal done.
“Key members of the club will now sit down with Steven Denham at Denham Youd to begin working on a master plan to see what we can do over the coming months, so it’s an exciting time ahead that will allow us to prioritise the vision of what we see here.”