The contractor that is building new affordable homes on the old home of St Mirren FC has given the Paisley club’s Youth Academy a £15,000 cash boost.

Glasgow-based AS Homes (Scotland) Ltd is currently on site at the old St Mirren stadium at Love Street in Paisley, building 132 new homes for Sanctuary.

One of the most successful youth academies in Scotland, St Mirren’s Youth Academy currently coaches around 150 young players, from the age of 4 up to 20. It is the only Youth Academy in Scotland, outwith Celtic and Rangers, to reach a 5 Star Elite rating from the Scottish FA.

Paul Kelly, managing director of AS Homes (Scotland) Ltd, said: “At AS Homes, we always try our best to make a positive contribution to the communities surrounding our developments. St Mirren’s Youth Academy has a fantastic reputation, and I think it does a wonderful job of bringing in youngsters and involving them in something positive that will improve their health, skills and confidence.

“The Academy also has a great track record of nurturing talent through its ranks, with many ending up as first team players both at St Mirren and elsewhere in Scotland. I think it’s great to see so many young people involved in the Academy and am very happy that AS Homes is in a position to help.”

Allan McManus, head of youth development at St Mirren FC, said: “We are so grateful to AS Homes for their support. This generous funding will make a tremendous difference and will be of great benefit to the development of our young academy players, as they strive to become better footballers. With football quickly changing, we need to keep up with it, and this donation will allow us to invest in much-needed new equipment to give our youngsters everything they need to compete.”