Croesyceiliog Athletic football club has been given a new lease of life thanks to an agreement to take control of its council-owned Raglan Court playing fields.
Under a ‘self-manage’ lease agreement, the Cwmbran club have been given use of the Torfaen Council-owned pitches in exchange for taking full responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of the grounds, which includes cutting the grass and marking the pitch.
The Raglan Court playing fields have needed cash to fix a slope. The uneven pitch had become unsuitable for football but Torfaen Council could not provide the money.
By taking responsibility for the playing fields, the club has been able to apply for funding and work has started to improve the facilities and level out the pitch.
The lease agreement comes as part of a proposal put forward in the council’s 2014/15 budget which will see local sports clubs given the opportunity to take responsibility for maintaining parks pitches in exchange for nominal rental costs.
£4,000 from Sport Wales
Members of Torfaen Council helped the club with research into potential funding streams to help them finance the move. This led to the the club successfully getting a £4,000 grant from Sport Wales. The funding will contribute to improving the facilities and providing a suitable area for members of the club to train.
Scott Tovey, club chairman, said: “The new agreement has certainly made things better for us and thanks to funding the work on the pitch is already in progress. As parents and players can now see the work being carried out, there is a buzz in the club, a sort of excitement that finally the players will have a great playing surface to play the game they love.”
Croesyceiliog Athletic have 11 junior teams in the Torfaen League, a youth team in the Gwent League and a senior team in Newport & District Division One.
Torfaen Council will save £300,000 from clubs taking over their facilities
Torfaen Council can support clubs to take responsibility for facilities, which includes practical advice and help with legal proceedings. Handing responsibility for the maintenance of facilities over to local sports clubs is expected to save the council around £300,000.
Councillor John Cunningham, executive member for neighbourhood services at Torfaen Council, said: “As part of the council’s 2014/15 budget we are asking clubs to agree to a self-management lease, whereby they will take on full responsibility for the ground’s management and maintenance.
“As part of these new arrangements the clubs will no longer have to pay a maintenance fee to the council, and will ultimately have more control over their own grounds. They will be able to choose who maintains the grounds, look for competitive pricing, and because they are not paying a maintenance fee will be able to set and retain the subscriptions from club members.”
Philip Avery, director of the Welsh Sports Association, the independent body that represents and supports all of the National Governing Bodies of sport and physical recreation in Wales said: “Croesyceiliog Athletic FC are a fine example of a community working together to improve the facilities on offer to residents in the area, encouraging a healthier, fitter population. Local authorities are under increasing budgetary pressure and self-managed lease agreements are proving an increasingly popular method of preserving facilities in the face of widespread budget cuts.
“Wales is a proud sporting nation and it is essential that our grass roots facilities are protected in order that that our stars of the future are able to thrive.”