Ahead of England’s first home game in the RBS Six Nations Championship 2016, Communities Minister Marcus Jones has called on supporters and councils to “up their game” and do more to help boost the sport locally by listing their grounds as Community Assets.
Since 2012, community groups have had the right to help protect sports facilities and other much-loved local buildings or land by listing them as Community Assets. More than 3,000 treasured assets are now listed.
This means that an owner cannot sell a ground or stadium, pavilion or pitch without a supporters group knowing about it or having the chance to put together a bid to buy it on behalf of the community.
Oxford United Supporters Trust scored first, by listing the Kassam stadium in May 2013 and since then other supporter’s Trusts including Rugby Union clubs have listed their grounds and stadiums.
Communities Minister, Marcus Jones said:
“Clubs are rooted in their communities and many supporters’ trusts around the country have been exercising their rights and having more of a say in how their grounds and stadiums are run.
“Taking control can not only secure their future, but it can also help them to grow and develop new commercial opportunities that help boost local economies.
“That is why we’ve made ‘Community Asset’ kits available to supporters to give them more of a say over their clubs and their grounds future.
"I want to see more sports fans up their game by converting their community rights to ensure that their clubs and grounds remain at the heart of their local sporting communities."
Essential to the identity of any club is a place to call home. Tewkesbury Rugby Club has overcome a series of challenges - particularly following the 2007 floods - to maintain a club which has been playing rugby in Gloucestershire since 1881.
Under the stewardship of a strong management committee and the help of supporters, the club working with Tewkesbury Borough Council, the Rugby Football Union and the Big Lottery raised over £500,000 to implement a development plan for the club, the culmination of which was opening of the new changing rooms completed this year.
The club is now thriving. As well as running two senior men’s rugby teams and an active veteran team, the club has seen significant growth in youth and ladies rugby with four teams playing at senior, U13, U15 and U18 level.
The development of the club has also resulted in the Tewkesbury Rugby Club being able to provide wider amenities to the local community including a running club, a recreational skittles club, and a venue for local cubs and scouts groups. The ground also hosts local school competitions.
Tewkesbury Rugby Club has now followed the examples of other sports by having their club listed as an Asset of Community Value with their local council. The fact that the club has nominated itself shows a real commitment to living the values of a community club.
In England, there are thousands of sports clubs which are becoming more ambitious about how they plan for their own sustainable futures.
In 2014, Plymouth Council handed over the 22 acre Horsham Playing Fields to the trustees of Plymstock Albion Oaks Rugby Football Club.
The transfer to community control provided the club with a platform to attract investment and the club is now going from strength to strength, securing lottery funding for a new pavilion, sealing a kit deal for all of their 16 teams and gaining promotion to the Cornwall-Devon League.
Marcus Jones continued
“Community rugby is the heartbeat of the game, the place where tomorrows football, rugby or tennis stars will be nurtured.
“No one wants to see their sports club kicked into touch so why not follow the examples of Tewkesbury Rugby Club and Plymstock Albion Oaks and explore the range of support and help available.”
Emma Boggis, CEO of Sport and Recreation Alliance, said:
“Community members have a chance to preserve the fantastic values of sport and recreation by protecting their local facilities through the Community Asset scheme. In our Fit for the Future report the environmental factors likely to impact sport and recreation were identified. It is important that these influences, such as leadership and workforce are considered by local communities to ensure that physical activity remains accessible for many years to come.”
For more information about the Community Rights, see www.mycommunityrights.org.uk
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