Latest news with #GraemeRobertson
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
East Kilbride YM boss relishing 'momentous day', as club set for West of Scotland League debut
The former amatuer side will make their bow this weekend at Kirktonholme East Kilbride YM boss Graeme Robertson is hoping the town comes out to back his side on a 'momentous' day for the team this Saturday. The town's oldest football club make their debut in the West of Scotland Football League when they host Irvine Vics at Kirktonholme for a Fourth Division clash. YM have made the leap from amateur football to the WOSFL after being voted into the bottom tier of the Scottish football pyramid at the end of last season. And everyone at the Village outfit is brimming with anticipation for their big bow at this level. Gaffer Robertson, who led the team to the Caledonian Premier Division title last season, said: 'It will be a momentous day for the club and everyone is looking forward to it. 'All the volunteers will be out in force and planning is well ahead of schedule for Saturday's game. 'Hopefully the weather is good for us and we get a good support behind us. 'We've been absolutely flabbergasted by the response to season tickets - we've sold just over 100 so far - and there have been a lot of people in the town coming up to us to speak about it, so there is a lot of interest. 'Every game we've had in pre-season we've seen a really good crowd and we are really impressed with the response in our first season.' Irvine Vics will be one of the favourites for the title this term, having been relegated from the Third Division last term, and Robertson added: 'I think Irvine Vics could be our toughest game of the season. 'They just got relegated but they have been playing really good teams in pre-season and winning comfortably. It should be a good game.' YM have managed to hold on to most of their squad from last season's title-winning campaign, while also pinching players from near neighbours and Division Four rivals East Kilbride Thistle, who they host on August 2. 'We've kept most of the boys who won the Caledonian Premier Division last season and we've added a few experienced players who have played at this level so we hope that will stand us in good stead,' said Robertson. 'We've brought in three players from EK Thistle - Adam Edgar, Ryan Anderson and Lewis Gray - so they have made the move across the Village. 'We are also delighted to get Greg Miller from Kello Rovers. He was being chased by the likes of Port Glasgow, but he opted to join us because he can see what our plans here are. 'We are just trying to consolidate. It is a big step up from amateur to semi-professional so we need to try and find our feet in the first season, try to be as solid and hard to beat as possible. 'Our ambition is to do well within the West of Scotland League and see what happens.' Saturday's clash is a 2pm kick-off at Kirktonholme, with tickets priced £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and kids under-12 go free.
Daily Record
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
East Kilbride YM join West of Scotland Fourth Division to set up derby with EK Thistle next term
The club now has opportunity to reach the professional ranks after being voted in at the WOSFL AGM Long-established Amateur side East Kilbride YM will make the step up to the West of Scotland Football League next season after being voted into the Fourth Division for the 2025/26 campaign. In a huge development for the Kirktonholme side, it means the town's oldest football club - formed in 1921 - are now part of the Scottish football pyramid system and have the opportunity to climb their way into the senior ranks in the future. The club were voted in at the West of Scotland Football League AGM this afternoon and their under-19 side will compete in the West of Scotland Development League. The news comes just weeks after East Kilbride FC won promotion to play in the senior ranks in SPFL League Two next season. And YM's inclusion in the West of Scotland Fourth Division next term also means they will play a derby with the town's other major side, East Kilbride Thistle, who finished seventh in that league last season. YM won the Caledonian Premier Division - the Scottish Amateur top flight in the region - this season and also reached the final of the West Cup, so this marks a huge step up but it is one boss Graeme Robertson believes the club are ready for. He said: "East Kilbride YM FC are delighted to announce that at this afternoon's West of Scotland Football League AGM we were voted into the WoSFL for this coming season. "This is a culmination of a lot of hard work behind the scenes by the YM Committee which now provides a player pathway from EKYC into EKYM and the opportunity to play in a Senior Professional League which is part of the SFA Pyramid System. "The very succesfull YM Under 19s, who were an excellent EKYC team prior to last season, will move to become the EKYM WoSFL Development team playing in a professional Development League. "This is a crucial part of the whole project as it is the YM's intention to promote players from within the club to the Professional Senior side in the WoSFL. "With several players in the Senior side having came through the YC Youth setup, it highlights the success of the partnership with our good friends at YC within EK United, a true Community Club. "I would just like to thank everyone from the YM and YC who played their part in making today happen."
West Australian
28-05-2025
- Politics
- West Australian
Albany council refuses to extend Nullaki lime pit operating window and remove transport restrictions
A proposal to triple the operating time period and remove transport restrictions of a lime pit in Nullaki has been shut down by Albany councillors. Councillors voted on Tuesday to refuse an amendment to the pit, located at Lot 9005 Eden Road in Nullaki, that would see its operational window extended from four months a year to 12 months a year. Proponent Graeme Robertson and Great Southern Lime also requested the removal of restrictions of 50,000 tonnes per year to be transported off the site, and no more than 84 vehicles a week or 20 vehicles a day. The original extractive industry was granted approval — subject to 45 conditions — by the State Administrative Tribunal in 2019 after the City of Albany refused it. Primary concerns expressed by councillors and the majority of submissions made during the public comment period included public safety, noise disturbance, environmental concerns and a current lack of compliance. Of the 105 submissions made, only five supported the extension, with the majority citing dicey near misses they had seen or experienced themselves with the trucks that utilise the same narrow, convoluted roads as local residents and the school bus. Deputy mayor Paul Terry acknowledged the demand for lime but noted that conditions were put on the original approval for 'very good reasons' and that many trucks did not obey the 40km/h speed limit of the road. 'In the report, it talks about, I think it's 133 of those truck movements out of 140 or so were over the 40km/h (speed limit),' he said. 'In fact, over 50 per cent of trucks that were going through there were over 50km/h. 'Now that has a significant safety impact on the residents that go there.' The pit occupies an 8ha area of the 437ha lot and is zoned as environmental conservation land. Three members of the public spoke in favour of the extension and pointed to the necessity of lime for farmers in regulating the pH of their soil and the cost of trucking it in from further distances. Cr Craig McKinley spoke against the motion of refusal, comparing the regulations to the Federal live sheep export ban in its effect on farmers and urged the council not to add more restrictions to the agricultural industry. 'We should be encouraging business,' he said. '(Regarding the) transport speeding, well, I used the analogy at the committee meeting that they can't control the speeding. 'It's up to the WA Police to control and regulate the speeding trucks, it's not up to the business.' The motion to refuse the amendment was carried 7-3, with Crs McKinley, Thomas Brough and Mario Lionetti voting against.
Scotsman
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Why Scots are facing bigger challenge on 2025 Tartan Pro Tour
More than 30 English players teeing up in circuit's season-opener at Montrose Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It may have been created to provide playing opportunities for Scottish-based professionals and, in fairness, that essentially remains the main goal for Paul Lawrie and his team. But both the success and growth of the Tartan Pro Tour is there for all to see as the circuit heads into its sixth season, which starts on Wednesday with the Montrose Links Masters presented by Montrose Port Authority. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Having initially been 72 when the circuit was launched by the 1999 Open champion during the Covid pandemic, the fields for this year are now up to a maximum of 99 players. Graeme Robertson and Same Locke secured cards for the Challenge Tour, which has since been rebranded as the Hotel Planner Tour, through being the top two players on last year's Tartan Pro Tour Order of Merit | Tartan Pro Tour For the season-opener on the Angus coast, more than 30 are flying the English flag while the line up also includes players from Ireland and Wales, as well as Canada, Korea, New Zealand and the US. 'There's definitely been an upsurge in interest from players from further afield,' admitted Michael MacDougall, the circuit's tournament director, who has worked closely with Lawrie on a number of exciting new projects and initiatives. That, of course, partly stems from the fact that the Tartan Pro Tour is now an official Satellite Tour, having been upgraded for this year from a Feeder Tour, for the Hotel Planner Tour, which will be better known by many as the Challenge Tour. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It means that any player who wins three times on the Tartan Pro Tour in the same season will secure automatic promotion to the Hotel Planner Tour and, if that had been in place last year, Sam Locke would have earned a step up before securing one of two 2025 cards up for grabs through the season-long Order of Merit along with Graeme Robertson. Another collection of top courses on schedule 'The fact we're now a Satellite Tour plus the incentives around the Hotel Planner Tour, including the chance to secure direct access to the second stage of the DP World Tour Qualifying School, and prize funds of circa £27,500 has definitely generated more hype for this season, which is great,' added MacDougall. Players will once again be competing on a collection of top courses, with events also taking place at Blairgowrie, Portlethen, Newmachar, Cardrona, Downfield, Leven Links, Musselburgh, Spey Valley, St Andrews, Gleneagles, Duddingston and Trump International Golf Links. Equally impressive once again is the backing secured by Lawrie through his Five Star Sports Agency from Montrose Port Authority, Petrasco, Entier, Boskalis, Martin Gilbert, Piper Sandler, The MacKay Clinic, Alistair Brown International, Macdonald Hotels, Fugro, Insights, Barr Demolition and Gym Rental Company. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Nick McCarthy, winner of the recent Farmfoods Aberdeen Golf Links Pro-Am, is part of a strong English contingent in the Tartan Pro Tour season-opener at Montrose this week | Tartan Pro Tour Robertson, last year's Order of Merit winner and coming off a top-20 finish in the Challenge de España in just his third start as a Hotel Planner Tour card holder, heads the strong field at Montrose. His rivals include Englishman Nick McCarthy, who produced an impressive performance to land the recent Aberdeen Golf Links Pro-Am at Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Trump International Golf Links, as well as Calum Fyfe, who has made four cuts in his six starts on the Hotel Planner Tour this season. Among those bidding to add to previous wins on the circuit are Greg Dalziel, Darren Howie, Bradley Neil, Seb Sandelin, John Henry and Rory Franssen while James Morgan and Matthew Wilson are both teeing up as rookie professionals after leaving the amateur ranks at the end of last season.
