The following letter has been submitted to So Cheshire by Steve Parker, chairman of Crewe FC
To Lorraine O’Donnell, Sam Corcoran & Cheshire East Council
As you know, Crewe FC have been trying for many years (since 2016) to get a new venue that can be the home for our club and help meet the incredible demand there is locally for boys and girls to play football.
In 2016, both the Cheshire East Playing Pitch Strategy (PPS) and Cheshire FA Local Football Facilities Plan (LFFP) identified a significant need for more 3G facilities in Crewe.
The PPS and LFFP also identified Crewe FC, a 3-Star England Football Accredited Community Club, as a key delivery partner in this process and to help the Cheshire FA achieve its objectives both then and in the future.
To date, Cheshire East Council has failed to deliver against its strategic objectives to increase the number of 3G facilities in Crewe, despite the need for such facilities continuing to grow year on year.
Over the past six years, but more specifically during the last 12 months, we have finally started to make some great progress working collaboratively with Cheshire East Council, the Football Foundation and the Cheshire FA.
As a result the club now have:
– An agreement in principle for a new venue and 3G pitch within Crewe.
– A plan for the club to transition from its current arrangements into a new venue.
– A business plan that proves that a new venue can be operated by the club sustainably at no cost to the council.
Significant fundraising efforts have already been completed and continue to take place to ensure that our club makes a substantial financial contribution towards the total cost of the project (circa £1.5M).
Crewe FC has already invested a significant amount of effort through hundreds (if not thousands) of volunteer hours to ensure that the project remains on track.
In addition the club have made substantial investments (all at its own direct expense) into feasibility studies, business plans and specialist support to ensure that the opportunity is and has remained viable despite the recent impact of the pandemic and cost of living crisis.
Crewe FC has also began the process of a community asset transfer which will allow the club to take occupation of an area of the King George V Playing Fields and develop the site.
However, whilst we have significant match funding already in place through our fundraising effort, the full cost of developing the 3G FTP cannot be funded solely by the club and with Cheshire East Council stating that they cannot contribute financially (and that is understood) we are seeking support via an application to the Football Foundation, via their facilities fund, to enable us to deliver the project.
Sadly, as things stand in February 2023 – despite all of this good work – the project has now stalled again, whilst we wait for Cheshire East Council to come up with the necessary information and governance that we need to move forward.
The joint Football Foundation application cannot proceed without Cheshire East Council’s full approval and in order to achieve this, the council officers have been trying to resolve a number of outstanding issues relating to VAT and also finalising investigations into the title deeds for the land.
These issues have been outstanding for several months now.
As a result, the project is now at risk of missing significant funding opportunities with the Football Foundation if this is not resolved quickly and as a matter of priority.
We do still have a chance to apply to the Football Foundation Facilities Fund from (funding window) October 2023 onwards.
However, the project needs to have secured planning approval before an application can be fully submitted and this timeline is becoming increasingly challenging.
We are therefore writing to you to seek your support and subsequent instruction to prioritise this work within Cheshire East as a matter of great importance.
On behalf of Crewe FC, I want to reinforce that whilst we are fully committed to this project we need urgency from Cheshire East Council to help activate it.
Yours faithfully, Steve Parker – Chairman, Crewe FC
