What We Do

  • Worked with a significant number of sports clubs and voluntary organisations to help them realise their vision and to sustain a secure future
  • Completed numerous feasibility studies
  • Advised private sector consortia on major PPP/PFI Schools projects
  • Advised Local Authorities on the long-term strategic delivery of sport, health and physical activity
  • Advised on design and community use for primary and secondary schools
  • Written published design guidance for sportscotland
  • Worked as appointed assessors for the major lottery programmes
  • Worked on large urban community regeneration projects
  • Acted as community engagement consultants in a Living Landmarks lottery Bid
  • In depth knowledge of the work of sportscotland and other funding agencies that allows PMR Leisure to
  • provide sports strategy and funding expertise to our clients )
  • Raised over £16½m for clients’ projects
  • Operated with honesty and integrity and always with the best intentions of our clients in mind

Community Sports Clubs

Community sports clubs make a significant contribution to the structure of Scottish sport. We have worked with many clubs and organisations in the voluntary sector to help them achieve their vision and goals:

Working with our club clients we provide a variety of advisory services such as:

  • Club structure development i.e. committees, IT systems, memberships
  • Marketing plans and events
  • Sports/club development plans
  • Planning and design
  • Fundraising for personnel, equipment and facilities
  • Facilitating strategic partnerships
  • Influencing
  • Local and national policy consideration

Examples of clubs and sports governing bodies we have worked with include: Spartans FC ;Broxburn United Sports Club; Lismore RFC; Tanfield Bowling Club; Scottish Canoe Association; Scottish Football Association, Scottish Croquet Association; Law Community Trust and Inverleith Hockey Club.

The shift in national policy towards new models of community management and ownership of facilities, currently within local authority control, also provides opportunities for community clubs. PMR Leisure has experience in providing advice on this change in policy and on the appropriate procedures local authorities need to adhere to before community ownership/management of facilities can be delivered. This provides the environment for community groups and clubs to consider becoming social enterprises in line with developing policy that allows the generation of income and profit where this is reinvested in the social objectives identified by the organisation concerned.

Community Regeneration

We have a professional interest in community regeneration and are committed to delivering solutions for communities based upon a sound understanding of local and national regeneration issues as well as our own methodologies and experience.

Consultation and Community Engagement
Our practical experience and knowledge of the diverse communities of Scotland has been proven in a number of projects involving both the public and private sector. We have particular experience of working within urban deprived areas and regeneration areas. We believe in engaging with community groups including young people, residents, groups, politicians, community council, neighbourhood partnerships and agencies allowing us to develop a full understanding of local issues and delivering ownership of the project for the community at the same time.

Developing Infrastructure and Sustaining Communities
Our understanding of a community’s needs derived from our consultation approach allows us to advise our clients on aspects of planning, design, use, programming and management of indoor and outdoor facilities (e.g. activity/sports centres, parks and pitches). For example on Social Inclusion Partnership projects in Edinburgh and Glasgow we have delivered the following regeneration solutions:

  • An area-wide, Hub-Satellite facility concept for Greater Govan Social Inclusion Partnership derived from understanding local territorialism, transport and social issues;
  • A youth facility refurbishment and park enhancement in Oxgangs through securing additional support and funding to expand its capacity, and ensure sustainability;
  • Facilitating a partnership of council departments, community representatives and external agencies to take forward a community facility regeneration strategy (e.g. housing, schools, retail, youth facilities and green space) for Oxgangs
  • Providing facility funding, design and management solutions for a community-run leisure centre in the south side of Edinburgh

PMR Leisure Ltd has extensive experience in working with Development Corporation’s Property Directorates and housing developers using sport and leisure need in planning inquiries to enable major housing and regeneration infrastructure developments to take place. This experience is particularly useful to clients in the construction industry who are subject to planning legislation requiring the provision of sport and leisure facilities and/or community consultation as part of the conditions attached to planning permissions from local authorities.

Community Use of Schools

We have advised on the design, use, programming and management of community facilities in over 70 primary and secondary schools in the UK. This has given us an extensive knowledge of the Scottish education system and sector, and the policies driving the PE curriculum and the community use of schools. This work has led to PMR Leisure’s representation on a working group established by the Scottish Executive to look at the issues surrounding community use of schools.

Business Planning and Management Models
Across the UK Local Authorities have different management approaches to the Community use of schools outside of school hours. Working with individual schools in a variety of communities we have helped to identify the appropriate method for adopting community use. This work includes detailed business planning which defines the appropriate management and service delivery model aligned with school and community needs e.g. not-for-profit trusts, constituted/un-constituted user groups, management committees, and dual-use. For example these models have been adopted in Bathgate Academy, North Lanarkshire’s Sports Comprehensives, and Rotherham Schools PPP.

Designing for Community Use
We provide a valued link between the client group and technical professionals within the project design team. Our understanding of the machinations of the design process allows us to accurately convey the client’s needs and vision through ongoing consultation and briefings with the design team and user groups. This experience resulted in us leading the development of the sportscotland publication Secondary School Sports Facilities: Designing for School and Community Use (2003). We have also advised on the related publications concerning community use of primary schools and school pitches.

PPP/PFI Schools
Owing to our experience concerning community use of schools and sports development we have developed a specialism within the school PPP/PFI sector in the UK. We work for large bid consortia providing unique advice on how to design, run and manage school community facilities constructed within PPP/PFI. We have a full and detailed practical knowledge of the whole PPP/PFI process. We have worked on 7 major bids in Scotland and two in England. This has led us to advising sportscotland on all issues regarding PPP/PFI. We are also now part of a specialist advisory group working with the children’s commissioner for Scotland on community use of schools and PPP/PFI issues relating to ensuring children at the heart of the developing PPP process.

Strategy and Feasibility

Strategic planning underpins everything we do and applies to the strategies and feasibilities we undertake for our clients. These have covered a diverse range of projects from stand alone community facility developments through to Local Authority wide sport, health and physical activity strategies. For example our Hub-Satellite Concept feasibility for Greater Govan, and the Physical Activity Strategy for Falkirk Council and Forth Valley NHS. As part of this work we are also able to demonstrate how national policy can have an impact on communities throughout Scotland leading to considered decision making at a local level.

Funding

We have built a reputation for helping clients to access external funding streams to bolster and enhance their projects. We have earned this reputation through stringent and honest assessment of the viability of each project with regard to meeting set funding criteria as well as sustaining a vision once it is realised. This service assists our clients through application processes which can sometimes seem very complex and time consuming to organisations and individuals often working on a voluntary basis.

Communications

PMR Leisure also acts on behalf of clients in conducting community consultation about their proposals and ensuring that key stakeholders such as local/national politicians, the media, partner organisations and funders are kept informed of progress. We will also work on behalf of our clients, where appropriate, to ensure that their project receives exposure and profile through media channels in an effort to gain support for proposed developments.

What we do for football

PMR Leisure has undertaken a variety of community club developments for football clubs. Furthermore, we currently act as advisors to the South East Sports Facilities Project (SESFP) which is campaigning for the improvement of sports facilities in Edinburgh. Although originally a football based campaign the SESFP has now expanded to include other sports – rugby, hockey, cricket, athletics and American football. City of Edinburgh Council has recognised the work of the SESFP and now meets with its representatives on a regular basis to listen to the views of clubs in the community as part of a strategy to improve facilities.

Specifically our work in football has included:

  • Site development planning
  • Developing club and community links
  • Briefing and working closely with facility design teams
  • Accrediting clubs with SFA Quality Mark and Council accreditation schemes
  • Designing football development plans
  • Undertaking club and community surveys
  • Developing applications for funding for revenue and capital projects
  • Liaison with Council Departments and Politicians
  • Liaison with SFA regional and national staff on behalf of clubs
  • Developed relationships with relevant MSP and MPs to support football

Football clubs PMR Leisure worked with or continue to work with include:

Spartans FC
To develop the Spartans Community Football Academy from vision to reality.The first urban based community football academy in Scotland.

Stenhousemuir / Falkirk Council
Developed funding strategy and advised on appropriate way forward for new 3G pitch development.

Broxburn United / Broxburn United Sports Club
Development of community sports club project from inception to funding Development.

Whitburn Football Clubs Association
Overseeing designs and development of many single clubs to one identity and one club pathway from youth to junior football. Secured lease with West Lothian Council for youth sections on local sites.

Hutchisonvale / Edinburgh United Junior Football Club
Development of clubs to work together to bring jointly development of site in Cramond on behalf of developer client to create a multi-sports club project

South East Sports Facilities Project (SESFP), Edinburgh
As described above we are advisers to the SESFP which is campaigning to improve sports facilities in Edinburgh. This involves working with the SESFP and City of Edinburgh Council to represent sport on a City Council led cross departmental partnership group specifically set up to look at the major facility issues for sport in the City. This work has included a survey across all clubs in the City which is now going to help develop the current Pitches Strategy into a fully funded Action Plan. Furthermore and as a result of this work SESFP has gained a place on the City of Edinburgh Steering Group looking at the future of Meadowbank Stadium and how consideration of that issue will impact on the delivery of sports facilities across the city.

The Pars Trust
Working with a variety of users, (including Dunfermline Athletic Football Club), of Pitreavie Park, Dunfermline to deliver a multi sport community facility.

Kelso United Football Club
Working with the football club to develop Woodside Park into a multi sport facility including the provision of a synthetic pitch, athletics track and provision of facilities for hockey.

Dundee Mapping Exercise
Dundee City Council, in partnership with the SFA, commissioned PMR to conduct a pitches and clubs mapping exercise.  The purpose of this work was to look at the condition of pitches and identify ‘homes’ for clubs to consider the development of strong community clubs with pathways from youth football through to the adult game. 

This work regularly results in football clubs contacting us to enquire about the services we can provide to help take forward the development of their club