Felling Magpies secure new ground

Photo by Karl Boyd/ http://www.pitchero.com/.
Photo by Karl Boyd/ http://www.pitchero.com/.

Felling Magpies have secured a 35-year lease on Wardley Welfare after an on-going battle at their previous home Albion Street playing fields.

A frequent war with dog walkers who refused to pick up their mess on the pitch often meant that coaches would have to walk the pitch before kick-off.

However, due to the sheer size of Albion Street it meant that they were unable to fence the area off to stop the dog fouling, horses on the pitches and litter.

After months of planning and a successful application for Wardley chairman Karl Boyd said: “The move to Wardley is a fantastic opportunity for the club to grow, giving the club stability and opportunity to connect with the local community.

“The club has been searching for somewhere called home for some time, this news is down to the work the managers, coaches, players and supporters have done for the club over the past couple of years to create a real brand and behaviours that everyone believes in.

“The opportunity this creates for the club moving forward will allow us to develop the facility of Wardley Park, grow the club and develop a fantastic grass roots base that we have started and now can only grow into a great club.”

The football club has teams spanning from junior tots, to men and women’s senior sides and due to the club expanding in recent years the need for more pitches became apparent.

The club nearly dissolved in 2010 after a number of teams left to play their football elsewhere.

Coach John Hewitt, 55, who first coached at The Magpies in his 20’s was also keen to voice his satisfaction and praised the work of the chairman.

He said: “It’s a real testament to all those volunteers who, over the years, have put in so much hard work and given up their time to help coach.

“None more so than the chairman who has turned the club around after a difficult start to the decade.

“The club is really on the up and the new ground allows us to attract more players who want to play for Felling.”

Comments are closed.