Introduction To The Group

With the redevelopment of Barlia Sports Complex beginning in January 2009 to a new 3G full size football pitch with new floodlights and three new five-a-side pitches, a meeting was held on Thursday January 22 2009 inviting all amateur clubs within the Castlemilk area to discuss the development of football within the scheme.

Out of the meeting Castlemilk Community Football Develoment Group was formed as an amalgamation to help assist Glasgow City Council, Culture and Sport Glasgow, the SFA and any other assisted parties to develop the game locally.

The Group sees the redeveloped Barlia as the main focal point for developing football in the area and wishes to help restore it to its previous rightful place as one of the thriving hubs of Castlemilk where clubs can proudly bring in coaches or visiting teams.

Part of the group’s aims is to help enable the clubs within Castlemilk to develop and ultimately ensure that Barlia helps foster better players through the coaching of local kids while providing amateur players with somewhere decent to play and have pride in.

Castlemilk has a great history in producing international footballers like Arthur Graham, Jim McInally, Andy McLaren and Charlie Miller who were all capped for Scotland while Ray Houghton went on to star for the Republic Of Ireland.


Jim McInally	Arthur Graham	Andy McLaren	Charlie Miller

More recently Castlemilk can boast of up and coming Wigan Athletic and Republic Of Ireland Under 21 internationalist James McCarthy and in season 2008/09 an English Premiership manager in Ricky Sbragia at Sunderland.


James McCarthy	Ricky Sbragia

The group aims to try and help Castlemilk to continue and help develop these kinds of talents as well as helping to get the kids off the streets and into such a key community facility such as Barlia.