Praise for Pikes' plans (From Gazette & Herald)

Praise for Pikes' plans

PICKERING Town's bid to become one of the top 100 grassroots clubs in the country was given large public backing last Thursday as around 130 people attended a meeting at Pickering Memorial Hall.

Committee members and North Riding FA youth development officer Andy Clay outlined the club's bid to gain FA Charter Standard Community Club status to a packed audience, which included numerous young faces.

Many of those who attended were full of praise for the initiative, which is set out in a three-year development plan.

Pickering Mayor Coun Natalie Warriner said: "Anything that encourages young people in Pickering can only be good. They are the ones who have to look after the town in later life, so we must do the best for them now."

Pickering town council clerk Andrew Husband added: "The scheme can't be anything but good for the boys and girls of Ryedale, both in the short term and long term. It was good to see such a varied age range at the meeting."

Mike Welbourne, a resident of Pickering whose son plays for the under-12 junior team, said the club deserved the support of local people. "The meeting was very positive and the presentation very professional. The scheme is ambitious but, if successful, will be great for the children of Pickering."

Club chairman Tony Dunning was delighted with the turnout, particularly from young people. "It shows there is a lot of interest. The development plan is good publicity for the town and shows that people get things done in Pickering."

Among the questions asked by members of the audience, concern was expressed that the development of the football club might impinge on the bowls and cricket clubs, which also operate from the club's home, the Recreation Club. But vice-chairman Bill McCall said these clubs were likely to benefit as part of the development plan included upgrading the Recreation Club building, including the changing rooms. He added that consultation with the bowls and cricket clubs would be sought.

Assuming community club status was attained, Andy Clay said the club could renew its application at the end of the initial three years and further funding would be available, providing the club continued to meet the criteria laid down by the FA.

Putting talented players on contracts to ensure Pickering were compensated if bigger clubs signed them was also suggested by a member of the audience. Pickering first team manager Steve Brown said this wasn't financially viable at present. After the meeting, Mr McCall said the club would be looking into this possibility in the future with the guidance of the FA.

Steve Brown said the vision behind becoming an FA Community Club was to see more local players in the senior team. He added that the scheme would help see juniors follow in the footsteps of former Pickering players Craig and Chris Short, who both turned professional.

If the club's bid is successful, they will be eligible to apply for grants of £30,000 for junior coaching and £150,000 for stadium improvements over three years. Close links with schools and professional clubs, courses on coaching, refereeing and physiotherapy, a club constitution and code of conduct, and the formation of a women's team are all features of the development plan. Other benefits include the right to use the FA logo and specialised support from the FA.

The club will receive a decision from FA headquarters next month. If successful, they will attend a prestigious national presentation in Nottingham in December. Development officer Andy Clay said the bid was one of the best he'd seen and was 99pc confident it would be accepted.

Updated: 09:03 Wednesday, October 23, 2002