Stephen Maguire, who will take charge of the home athletes when they compete at Hampden Park at next year's event, believes the £7 million ($11 million/€9 million) facility - which features the same running track surface as the one to be laid at the Games venue - will provide the perfect base camp for his squad.

He is also encouraging his team, which includes the likes of European relay champion Eilidh Child, London 2012 competitor Eilish McColgan and Scottish Championships gold medallist Jamie Bowie, to get involved in community clubs - such as the Kilmarnock Harriers and Ayr Seaforth - as part of their preparations.

"One thing I didn't want to set-up in advance of the Games was a situation whereby athlete were being 'locked away' from the Scottish public in a hotel for a couple of weeks," Maguire explained.

"I don't think that kind of living in a bubble training camp is advantageous ahead of a major tournament and all the excitement that generates.

"There will be a lot of enthusiasm and passion for Team Scotland in the final few days before the Commonwealth Games next summer and you want to feed off that to an extent.

"Obviously there will be times when athletes need to focus hard and will be training on their own, in groups or just with their own coach.

"But, at other times, I want to see some community involvement and we're talking to East Ayrshire Leisure about that for next July and perhaps linking up with youngsters involved in East Ayrshire Leisure's summer athletics camps, that kind of thing."

Sarah Warnock will get her Glasgow 2014 preparations underway in Kilmarnock after she was named among the first 27 athletes to make it onto Team Scotland for the Commonwealth Games in September ©Mike Scott

After training at the Ayrshire Athletics Arena - which staged the scottishathletics West District Championships last May, the track and field squad will move into the Athletes' Village in Glasgow's East End immediately before competing in their events.

Also on Maguire's team is 2013 national long jump champion Sarah Warnock, who is excited for the "big year" ahead.

"The Games are catching the imagination of the Scottish public as we have all seen from the ticket sales and thankfully my family and friends have now managed to get them for the long jump qualifying rounds," she said.

"It is so exciting and I think being based at the Ayrshire Athletics Arena in Kilmarnock will really keep us connected with the public.

"The facilities at the track look excellent and I think it is a good idea that there will be some community involvement, too."

Team Scotland Chef de Mission Jon Doig also welcomed the announcement.

"We are pleased to confirm that the plans for the final part of Team Scotland track and field preparations have now been made and we think this base in Kilmarnock is ideal for our needs," he added.

"It is important to us that the whole of Scotland gets behind the team and feels part of the Games and initiatives like this are ideal for fostering that support."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
September 2013: First 27 Team Scotland athletes revealed for Glasgow 2014