Wardle FC still waiting to extend pitch three years after funding boost

A local grassroots football club is still waiting for a pitch extension to meet with Lancashire FA guidelines, three years after receiving a funding boost for these very works.

One year ago, Wardle FC was close to signing a new lease and improving the grounds at Rutherford Park, but is still waiting to sign the lease and extend their pitch.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/4/sport-news/108222/wardle-football-club-closer-to-extending-pitch-and-signing-new-lease

In 2017, Mark Robinson, Assistant Director of Planning and Development at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The extension of the pitch has taken longer than expected because we have encountered a number of issues along the way, which we are currently working to resolve. The £335,000 section 106 money is intended to support sports facilities across the borough and £44,332 of this has been allocated to Wardle Football Club.”

However one year on, club chairman, Rik Fielding, says the funding has dropped to just £180,000 in section 106 funding allocated from the Birch Hill development. A section 106 contribution is a sum of money received from residential developers through planning obligations to provide improvements to formal sports facilities across the borough.

He said: “The figures have changed over the years. We just want to know how much money the club is being granted, and where from. We also had an extra £80,000 confirmed from another 106 project on Tarnside Close. This originally was for the clubhouse, but is having to be poured into the pitch, which needs raising and extending.

“We’ve been told it’ll have to go to planning, but I can’t see anyone objecting because it’s all on grazing land. I’ve also had a few quotes for some of the work, and I’m keen to begin work on site now the season has ended. If it goes to planning, that’s additional time we have to wait.”

The pitch would extend one of the two junior pitches to a second adult pitch, which would allow adults to play football in the evening and the children in the morning.

The club has previously been granted £44,332 towards extending and widening the pitch to meet the Lancashire FA guidelines (£29,674), plus drainage on one pitch (£11,880) and two sets of senior lightweight goal posts (£5,800).

Rik added: “The council has waived this, but any additional drainage costs will have to come from this money. In 2016, this would have been about £14,000 but it’s now in the region of £43,000 for the upper field and a similar cost for the lower one.”

The club has still not been able to sign a new lease, first put forward in 2015, as it is unclear who owns the access road to the grounds. The 99-year lease would cost £1,000 a year for the first 15 years and then a ‘peppercorn’ rent for the next 84 years.

This would be cheaper than the club’s current £400 per year rent at Rutherford Park, and the £750 per year cost of hiring grounds at Firgrove for one of the club’s three adult teams, saving the club £150 per year. 

An exasperated Rik continued: “Who owns the access road? Who would be liable if someone had an accident? We’ve been asking for two years who is liable for the road because we don’t want it owned by a third party. We also want to know if the spec is being put to tender because of the costs.”

A spokesperson for the Council said: “Pennines townships has already given Wardle FC £25,000 for a new clubhouse and £44,000 has been allocated from section 106 contributions to pay for further improvements at the site. We are in ongoing discussions with the club about their requirements and what is feasible, so we are not yet clear on what work will be undertaken.”

However, in April, all football and rugby clubs in the borough were contacted for a consultation about a potential sports pitch development at Balderstone Park. A proposed layout suggested eight mini soccer pitches for under sevens and eights, with up to two reduced sized adult pitches. FA standard changing facilities have been proposed at an adjacent community room and car parking.

The council spokesperson added: “With regards Balderstone, we have allocated £590,000 to create new playing pitches, changing rooms and community facilities at the site. This is funded by section 106 developer contributions from a housing development on Broad Lane.”

Rik asked: “Why are we going to waste council money when we have land at Firgrove and Rutherford Park that can be used? The old St John’s playing field in Wardle could be revamped. Do these pitches fall into the playing field strategy that’s already been completed?”

He added: “We just want to play football, that’s all we’ve ever wanted to do.”