Audlem Playing Field

As we approach the start of the 2016/2017 football season, I am in receipt of a missive from Cheshire East- in the guise of ANSA – to the effect that we, Audlem FC, have to pay up the sum of £466 to be allowed to use our own playing field.

We are the ONLY group that has to pay to use the filed. The only group of all.

It's an increase in the charge of some 15%! To have the grass cut. To have the trees pruned. To have pitch markings. And to suffer one of the worst pitches in the league – just look at the goal mouths to see what I mean.

No remedial work was undertaken whatsoever by Cheshire East -- in spite of my pleas.

And my plea to our Parish Council last season for help to the £404 we had then paid out was refused -on the grounds we did not raise money by events. Where do they think the £404 came from? The players all pay up each week to get such funds. Personally paying to use the field.

Paying out this new charge of £466 will virtually empty our bank account. And the players will have to stump up money to get us viable as a team under League rules.

If only we -- the village – owned the field as we had unanimously voted for nearly two years ago. I do despair over this unfair position and will hope again for a degree of aid from the Parish Council.

Ralph Warburton
Chairman AFC

An editorial view

AudlemOnline's editor adds: Hopefully, at tonight's Audlem Parish Council, we will get some more encouraging news about the Playing Field than we have had in almost two years.

When we received Ralph Warburton's article yesterday, we went to photograph the goalmouth he describes. It's not the surface any player, particularly a goalkeeper, would relish. Neither would most youngsters having a kick-about. Cheshire East have clearly failed to maintain the football field to a decent standard, despite many requests.

Four years ago, Audlem was offered the opportunity to take over the playing field, plus the car park, children's playground and tennis courts, as part of Cheshire East's devolution programme. This followed the successful local takeover and refurbishment of the public toilets after they were closed by Cheshire East.

Almost two years ago, at an Extraordinary Parish Council meeting and a separate Audlem Parish Council meeting, around sixty local residents voted in favour of the take-over (with just one vote against) and the parish council then agreed by a large majority with just two councillors opposed to the take-over.

Since then there seems to have been little progress and much delay, disagreement and prevarication, so much so that we know that Cheshire East pushed the Audlem application from the front of the devolution queue to the back.

Unfortunately, as reported at June's Audlem Parish Council meeting, Cheshire East have also recently changed the terms – rather than complete devolution a 30-year lease was on offer, a deal many councillors seemed against last month as they said it would mean difficulties in obtaining grants and future tenure of the facilities would be uncertain.

Our photo taken yesterday shows eight tennis players on the courts in the background. In the early 1980s, when the courts were the responsibility of the then borough council, Crewe & Nantwich, they were in a terrible state, even worse than the football field's goalmouth. No white lines, a ragged net, a pitted and unsafe playing surface and perimeter netting in a deplorable state. The result – nobody played tennis.

Then, Audlem Tennis Club was formed in 1982 and very soon decided to upgrade the courts dramatically. They were offered a lease by the council, which was accepted, and this created no trouble when obtaining grants or loans. With some £25,000 raised in a matter of months, the club completely transformed the courts into amongst the best in Cheshire with floodlights, a clubhouse and everything else since renewed whenever needed.

If the playing field deal falls through, in the eyes of many – including the many members of the public who voted in favour of a takeover at that Extraordinary meeting in 2014 – Audlem Parish Council in particular, but Cheshire East also, will deserve much criticism for all the delay and indecision that has characterised this saga.

Let's hope for some positive news tonight at the parish council meeting.

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