Re: Chelmsford City Football Club

The Committee of Chelmsford Athletic Club (CAC) wish to thank the Chelmsford Borough Council (CBC) for advance notice that it is giving consideration to the Chelmsford City Football Club (CCFC) transferring of its HQ to Melbourne Park, and to play its home matches on the infield area of the athletic track.

1 The views of the individual members of the CAC committee on the proposal range from outright opposition to the proposal to showing some sympathy toward CCFC in the light of difficulties it faces. The majority view within the CAC Committee is clearly against the plan, as it goes contrary to the purpose for which the stadium was developed --that of an ATHLETIC Centre.

The Committee, and the more experienced athletes of CAC, are opposed to the use of the athletic arena for football; as such a decision by CBC would be a total reversal of the philosophy that CBC stated in its application to the Lottery Sports Fund, which quoted:

“The aim of the scheme is to replace the derelict and under used athletics facilities at Melbourne Park with a complex of modern facilities available for year round use to meet the specialist needs for athletics competitions and training and the need for community level indoor sports in the local area

2 In the past, CBC have considered and dismissed the use of the infield area as a football pitch, and it now appears that the present Council are bending over backwards to find reasons to justify the reversal of their earlier decision, and risking its credibility with the Lottery Sports Fund.

3 We have given consideration to the comments that at Grantham and at Newport, the use of athletic stadiums for both athletics and football appears to be acceptable. However, we feel that the experience at Essex based athletic clubs is more relevant and must not be overlooked --indeed local experience would suggest that athletics and football SIMPLY DO NOT MIX.

At Harlow, there is currently some talk of building new athletics facilities for the town and for Harlow AC, as they have found that sharing the old stadium with the football club has been unworkable. At the Cricklefields Stadium, Ilford AC have found that the use of the stadium for football is resulting in unacceptable deterioration of the synthetic track surface, caused as much by the freezing of mud deposits on the surface as well as from wear from football boots. Ilford AC have advised CAC that the proposal should be fought at all costs if we wish to see the high quality of the athletic facilities at Melbourne Park to be maintained. Also, Havering Mayesbrook AC have relocated their training base after deciding that they could no longer coexist with the football club which shared their facilities.

Further a field, we are aware that a leading female hammer thrower at Brighton AC has to travel to Horsham to train, as training at the Withdean Stadium --the home of Brighton AFC - is not allowed as it would cause damage to the playing surface. Throwers using Melbourne Park if the CBC proposal were implemented would experience a similar fate.

We would strongly recommend that CBC make enquiries with the Leisure Services Departments at Harlow, Ilford and Havering Councils, and each of the Athletic Clubs concerned, to learn first hand why athletics and football have not coexisted in their areas.

4 The earlier application by CCFC to develop a new football pitch on an area opposite to the existing pavilion at Melbourne Park was ultimately rejected by CCFC as they could not secure finance to develop the new facilities, as CBC would only allow a short/medium term tenure on the new pitch, and CCFC could not obtain liberal bar licensing opening hours that it wished for its clubhouse bar.

This earlier proposal would have had only a MINOR IMPACT ON CAC, insofar as there would be competing demands for the available Car parking spaces on those days when the Football pitch and the athletic stadium were both in use.

5 The revised proposal to use the infield of the athletic arena for football matches, together with the related works described by CBC WILL HAVE A PERMANENT AND SIGNIFICANT EFFECT on the use of the Stadium by Athletes and Spectators:

a) CAC will be forced from a position of virtual free access to the stadium (for which it was originally provided), to a situation where the football interests of CCFC will predominate and will interfere with that free access. Home fixtures of both clubs would require being coordinated, and CAC would like to feel that as the ‘sitting tenant ‘, it MUST be guaranteed priority in booking in the event of a clash of dates between CAC and CCFC requirements

b) In any event, the use of the infield for football WILL run considerable risk of Damage to the Synthetic Athletic Surface, which will be detrimental to all athletic users, especially when the surface

Has to be replaced and is consequently out of action for athletics.

When the new track was first opened, CBC requested that track users did not use Lane 1 for training in order to minimise wear to the track. The current proposal should not overlook the fact that there will be increased wear caused by inappropriate footwear. Based on the experience of Ilford AC, this increased wear and tear must not be underestimated, and will need to be fully costed into the CBC proposals.

(CCFC should be instructed to provide at least 8 Ballboys with suitable footwear to act as ball retrievers at matches in order to minimise the damage)

c) The permanent shortening of the Javelin runway adjacent to the high Jump area will lose the flexibility for athletic meeting organisers of holding the Javelin event from both ends of the Arena. It might be possible to continue using the affected runway, although there may be some conflict between javelin throwers and athletes taking part in track events on the curved track, which could result in undesirable delays.

d) Of greatest significance will be the PERMANENT loss of the infield area between Mid August to Early May for athletes who wish to train for the three throwing events of Hammer, Discus and Javelin as the implements would cause damage to the football playing area. CAC would be unable to include any throwing events in its Spring Open Meetings currently held in April -- something that would be regarded as a serious loss for throwers at the start of their summer season.

This would be a serious loss of facility and would be a retrograde move only partly eased by the development of improved throwing facilities in the indoor facility. We are aware that athletes from Colchester and East London currently use the stadium for throws training, and they will be denied for a large part of the year in the future.

e) The development of an all - circuit pathway to satisfy the requirements of the Football League, of Toilet facilities, of a recorders /Announcers room, and of a Sales Kiosk (provided both of these are both of acceptable size) would be well received.

In contrast, the proposal to build a 1000- seat stand over the banking on the back straight is viewed much less favourably, as that grass area is used currently as a picnic area by spectators and athletes, as it is open and South Facing. The provision of a covered stand would produce a sheltered area for soccer spectators a distance of some 25 Metres back from the pitch, but would provide unnecessary shade against the summer sunshine that is presently enjoyed by spectators at athletics meetings.

If a new stand were to be developed, could it be set back from the trackside fence by some 3 to 4 metres to allow athletics spectators to watch from the fence side as at present, and the roof line angled to permit the maximum sunlight to enter into the stand .The fact that sunlight does not reach much of the existing small stand on the finishing straight is one reason for its limited use in the summer, and reflects in the high usage of the grass bank area for spectators.

The existing grass bank is regularly used by athletes for stamina /hill efforts especially when the track is congested on training evenings, and the loss of this area would be a loss of facility.

f) The erection of screen fencing adjacent to the Car Park would have a negative effect on what is currently an airy and pleasant aspect, through which visitors can appreciate the splendid facilities offered by the athletic arena. To shield off the arena from public view would seem to be cow- towing to CFFC demands that spectators pay to view their performances.

6 The Committee of the CAC would hope that the CBC give very careful consideration to the licensing arrangements for the proposed CCFC clubhouse and Bar, as unlimited opening hours might give rise to congestion in the Car park on Tuesdays and Thursday evenings when the CAC has its own training evenings and on other evenings in the week when athletes use the clubhouse. Attempts by CCFC to obtain a license for opening every day should be rejected on the same grounds as made previously, as it is felt that the location of such a social facility in close proximity to housing would be an undesirable change in use of Melbourne Park and would be unacceptable to nearby residents.

7 CAC are of the opinion that the introduction of football at the Melbourne Park Athletic Centre would be a recipe for disaster at sometime in the future. Once installed, the football club would probably look for increased use of the floodlit arena for training purposes, which would impose serious limitations on other users of the stadium.

8 The Chelmsford ATHLETIC Centre has been a success, and is probably the best athletics complex north of Dartford (Kent) and south of Bedford. It has attracted a large influx of new members to CAC, and has also attracted athletes from a wide area (covering Colchester, Cambridge and East London) to use its splendid facilities. It has gained a good reputation as a centre with good facilities and staff, and in 2004, Chelmsford will be hosting its first International competition (Schools).

Given the development work that has gone before, and the dividends now being reaped, it would be a great pity if all the good work at the ATHLETIC CENTRE was to be undone by a proposal that is a hotch potch of a solution to the problems currently faced by CCFC.

9 It has been noted that the CCFC performances over the past ten years, and in the current season in particular, have been far from spectacular. With a succession of management and financial problems that have been experienced over the years at CCFC, one must wonder if CBC are pouring good Council Taxpayers Money at solving a problem at CCFC that might not have existed if CBC had grasped the nettle and come up with a new football stadium for CCFC at the outset. If that had been the case, the management of CCFC could have concentrated on the quality of its football, and not having to focus on where it would be playing its football, and CCFC might be in a higher league than it is currently.

The Committee would be only too pleased to meet and discuss the contents of this letter, if desired.

Yours sincerely

John Weir