Hospitality Complex - Offical Opening

Forfar Athletic’s new hospitality complex which was utilised for the first time at the club’s opening home league game with Dunfermline Athletic will be officially opened at a short ceremony prior to this Saturday’s home joust with Morton.

The complex which includes the 1984 Lounge which is open to all supporters on a match day also incorporates five hospitality lounges which are already fully booked for the season ahead.

The six figure cost of the project has been totally funded without a loan facility and club officials are rightly proud of the completed project.

The Club Directors decided to theme the naming of the complex around the magnificent achievement 30 years ago when the club finally, 99 years after they had been formed won their first ever national league title with the at the time record breaking run of the side under the stewardship of Doug Houston.

That side which contained many a club legend with a handful of the players in their time at the club playing over 400 times in the sky blue colours.

At the time of course the Second Division of the SFL was the third tier of the professional game and the success elevated the Station Park men into a league that included Motherwell, Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle and St. Johnstone to name but four in it’s ranks.

Consequently the current board were delighted when Doug Houston agreed to return to Station Park this Saturday to play the major part in the opening ceremony. The 1984 Lounge apart, one of the hospitality lounges has been named the Doug Houston Lounge.

The match sponsors lounge has been named the Sam Smith Lounge in honour of the Club Chairman of the late seventies and the eighties who spearheaded the renaissance with the help of many others of the club at the time. Members of Sam’s family all still keen followers of the ‘Loons’ cause to this day will also be amongst the pre-match guests on Saturday,

Doug will also be joined on Saturday by the club captain of the time and the club’s record appearance holder Ian McPhee, still a regular visitor and friend to the club. Ian already had a lounge in the old hospitality unit named in his honour and this will continue to be the case as will also be the position with the Stewart Kennedy and Archie Knox Lounges, named as they were after two other club legends.

The naming ceremony will commence at 12.45p.m. and any supporter wishing to attend will be more than welcome.

Doug and Ian after enjoying a spot of lunch in the boardroom will also be paying a visit back to the 1984 Lounge prior to kick-off to meet with supporters enjoying a relaxed pre-match refreshment.