Club storm over pitches closure

1:20pm Thursday 21st June 2012 in Evesham United FC

AN Evesham amateur football team are up in arms at Wychavon District Council’s decision to close their home pitch.

Birdseye Sports Evesham Sunday League Division Four champions Ambassador are among four teams who need somewhere else to play next season.

Along with Evesham Working Men’s Club, Red Horse and Trumpet, they require a new venue following the closure of the Crown Meadow pitches.

Evesham United’s Jubilee Stadium, which has 10 surfaces, is ready to open and the council want sides to move there.

It could cost teams at least £500 more a season for pitch hire with the current £25 match fee rising to £70 at Cheltenham Road. Ambassador will be forced from their Avon Street snooker club base and reckon the changing rooms there, installed at their own expense as there were none at Crown Meadow, will not be used now.

Club secretary Irene Heath said: “I think it’s disgusting. We don’t feel we want to go to Evesham United.

“We are a Sunday morning team from a pub. We have the changing facilities at our club and they will go to waste.

“The council want to see Evesham United do well but that doesn’t mean to say they need to deprive local people of the football pitches.”

Evesham WMC have raised concerns about losing bar trade from players and supporters and will now play at Evesham High School.

League secretary Martin Malin said: “The issue isn’t what’s on offer at Evesham United, it’s the fact that some teams have spent money on their own HQ.”

A council spokesman said: “The league and clubs were told they would be closing when the Evesham United development came about because it has community pitches.

“It has taken longer for that to come to fruition than expected but it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. The problem is the pitches are used throughout the summer for various events and dog walking and in the winter for football so they don’t have a lot of time to recover.”

Comments(3)

aysum1 says...
8:14pm Thu 21 Jun 12

What another farce and report on it. 10 pitches on the new facility? I guess they may have a few subbutteo ones in the club house because they not got 10 full size ones outside it even if you count the small ones as regulation size..
the ground in not the jubilee stadium it is as you stated in an artical the Spiers and Hartwell jubilee stadium.
the sunday league has been shafted by a clubs owners who could not afford what they desired and had to change to a community based scheme to fet the FA funding to build the thing then get £237,000 off WDC to buy the land so they can rent it back.
Damage to the Crown Meadow !looks like it has survived pretty well for many years and remember EUFC used to be down there along with the Evesham Show horses and cattle and the grass track racing.
EUFC reckon the run 30 teams is it + the sunday League so how will the few pitches at the stadium survive without a break.
I feel sorry for the the pubs and clubs that may well loose their teams as they will get nothing back.
The £45 increse in fees is to help EUFC pay their £10,000 a year rent to WDC.
A sad day for individuals and clubs who enjoy the social side of football.

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imnemo says...
9:57pm Thu 21 Jun 12

What a Con.
According to the plans thee are not 10 surfaces available as stated in theEvesham Journal. There is the main pitch - 2 smaller practice pitches - 3 full size pitches and 2 mini pitches for children right by the busy A46 making them totally unsafe if a ball has to be retreived despite the ball fence being installed.
Local business who rely, and put time an effort into providing teams for the Birdseye Sports League are now to suffer further loss of business generated by their home team using their facilities if the new stadium is to be used. This town is already in the throws of a major decline and with the planned rebuilding of the New Bridge and Abbey Road this will also create other problems for local traders and access to EUFCs site .
Should not the Committee running this league have urged the use of local facilties available in town and not take what little trade there is left in the town centre. The Committee Members who advocated the use of EUFCs ground, with 3 available pitches and a busy public footpath disceting the practice pitches should hang there heads in shame at attempting to force additional expenses on their league sides.

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charlie the cat says...
3:43pm Fri 22 Jun 12

Hi i've read the above comments and agree with them it was supposed to be a club built for the community and has reported this seems not to be true they we're supposed to have enough adult sized pitches to compensate the lose of the crown meadow and viaduct plus Davis rd facilities and to be priced at a resonable price. Not for profit making or for funding the main team and up keep of there facilities. To show there disagreement with this set up i suggest the clubs involved look else where i.e try to revive the old Hinton on the green pitch or the old BBC pitches at Woodnorton apply to local village councils that way you can still have the after match drinks at your local club or pub.

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