|
|||||||||||
| |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
 Black Country Shop |
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
23rd
June
2004
Peacocks to Leave Gornal? Newly promoted Gornal Athletic is deep in confidential negotiations to move outside the village in their search for a new home. In its present format the club has been based in Gornal since 1945, although its roots go back much further. The team played on a pitch behind the Old Bulls Head pub before moving to their present home at Garden Walk. Over recent years the cost of repairs, growing number of teams, and worries over security of tenure have made it increasingly difficult to remain at Garden Walk. This led to the announcement in mid-2003 of 'Project Duncan Edwards', a plan to build state of the art green field facilities in co-operation with Ellowes Hall School. At first the Head Teacher and Governing Body of the school were fully behind the scheme, which was also supported by Dudley North MP Ross Cranston. However, for what is described on the Peacocks' website as "reasons best known to themselves", the school pulled out of the project - despite the apparent opportunity for vastly improved facilities for its pupils. Effectively this ended any possibility of keeping Gornal Athletic in Gornal (we haven't got room for a decent car park, let alone a major new sports stadium!), so the search has continued outside the village boundaries. According to the club's website at www.gafc.org.uk, the hunt may now be over. A suitable site has been found nearby, although its owner has requested 'no publicity' regarding exact location until contracts are ready to be signed. The cost of the project is expected to be around £3m, with soccer pitches, a stadium up to Southern League standards, social club and impressive changing facilities. Garden Walk will be sold for housing under the plan, with grants providing a further injection of funds. The target is to move at the end of the 2004/05 season. Peacocks Chairman Chris Smith will not be expecting an easy ride in his bid to take the club out of Gornal; there were enough terrace grumbles at the prospect of having to traipse a few hundred yards up the hill to Ellowes Hall! At the same time, one has to ask what the alternative is, given the collapse of negotiations with the School. Has an opportunity for major investment in our community passed us by? And if so, who is to blame? www.gafc.org.uk sport@yampy.co.uk. --> |
|
|
|
|
