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00:00Good morning. Thank you for being here. It's a privilege to be able to be stood here as a group representing Ayrshire on 1-7.
00:09A really important morning for us. I think this morning when I was thinking about what did I say, I think the biggest challenge for me was
00:19what did I say today that tells people something that they don't already know. Because I think we all know what a huge moment this is for football
00:27and for us and for our football teams. I think back to some of the early conversations I had with Graeme around dreams,
00:37aspirations of what it would mean to have a national training centre or a national football centre. He always made a great point saying
00:45until we find somewhere, until we actually have a location, that's what they'll be. They'll just always be dreams and aspirations.
00:52It's incredibly exciting and I'm over the moon to be able to be stood here and say we've found a team and that's it, we've found a location.
01:01I suppose the old good things come to those who wait. I think for us, great things have come to us from Ayrshire on 1-7.
01:10I say that too because of the partnership we have and for someone to share the journey with us. I think a partnership or a partner I should say
01:19that share our drive and our passion to be the best and strive for excellence and to actually compete on the work stage, not just domestically.
01:30It's a fantastic partnership that we have. I'm really excited for what's ahead. Some of the words that have been spoken are already,
01:40I probably can't add too much to that apart from repeating them. You'll see the words build, train and compete a lot with what we do over the next 3-4 years.
01:49I think it's easy for me to relate to that quickly because obviously we're not just building facilities, pitches, physical infrastructure.
01:59As has been mentioned already, it gives us a place to build our culture, our identity. Somewhere where our elite players can come and train in top class facilities
02:08but also those players coming behind them, our young players right down to our grassroots can aspire to be those elite players.
02:16Somewhere they can look at and want to follow in the footsteps of. Obviously that allows us a place to go and compete with the best in the world.
02:24Anytime I've spoken to any other associations and federations, I've asked them about their training facility. While they don't put it all down to their success,
02:34they say it's a huge, huge part in the success they've had. We give that back to the culture, the identity, a home for really showcasing who we are.
02:45Again, very privileged and honoured to be posted here today. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of football. Have a great morning and thank you for your support.