Consett Sports Village - A reply
We received the following reply from David Pyke to our recent “Focus on Consett” leaflet. It is so important that, with his permission, I print it in full here.
“I am Secretary of Consett YMCA Junior Football Club. We are an FA Chartered Community Club.
Way back in 2001 we put in a funding bid with the FA for £1 million to re-develop Belle Vue - this was taken on board as a great bid, but it made sense to go with the council’s sports village project of which we would be a major partner (plus the idea originated from us - the community):
31 junior teams from under 7 to under 18 (over 400 children and countless volunteers, parents, guardians etc
1 Ladies team
1 Adult disabled team
1 Consett reserve team
1 Consett over 40s team
1 Under 21 team
Also as secretary of Consett AFC (part of the community club) we were part of the deal with Belle Vue Park lease in exchange.
This is what all the football pitches were for as there are not sufficient facilities in Derwentside of any quality - for any sport, let alone football.
We pay lots of money for facility hire eg £20 per hour for indoor training, £1,000 for the Empire (our end of season presentation) etc. etc.
We should have had all this in place in 2007, now. We have been badly let down and left with archaic facilities - unless there is a plan B or councillors who care?”
As you would expect, I have replied to this comment and will update you when I get responses so long as David Pyke agrees to my doing so.
This is just the sort of open public debate we need - not decisions taken behind closed doors where you, the public, get told only what the council wants you to hear.
have your say
