LETTER: True friends of Herringthorpe Playing Fields support rugby club scheme

The Council will still own that part of the playing fields. Rotherham Rugby Club Limited is a non-profit making organisation and any operating surplus is invested back into promoting the development of amateur rugby union.

The directors and officials are all volunteers who, through the love of rugby, give freely of their time to promote the playing of amateur rugby union throughout the community.

The rugby teams, from under-sevens through to the Colts and the full adult teams, play under the name of Rotherham Phoenix RUFC, which is completely separate from the professional Rotherham Titans team. This fact is recognised by the Rugby Football Union, with each club affiliated to the union in its own right.

The plan is to provide three rugby pitches in the north-west corner of the fields. The existing pitches in that area (two football pitches and one rugby pitch) will be re-located on another area of the playing fields, so there will be no loss of playing amenities.

The cost of re-locating the existing pitches will be borne by Rotherham Rugby Club Ltd. A Service Level Agreement between the Council and Rotherham Rugby Club Ltd provides many safeguards to ensure that the whole community benefits from this development.

For example, the club would offer up to 12 hours each month free of charge to RMBC for community use and development activity. Also, there would be a robust schools link programme in place, in particular to encourage girls and young people with disabilities to take up rugby.

Working with the Council’s Sports Development Team, the club would develop holiday, out of season and open community activity to promote participation in rugby, sport and physical activity in general. Nobody would be excluded from using the facilities, subject to availability.

Any charges for using the pitches would be in line with the current charging policy of the Council for pitches on the playing fields and at Herringthorpe Stadium. Any proceeds from the hire of the facilities would be used to meet the running costs and service the loan repayments.

In partnership with the Rugby Football Union, the club will be investing over £200,000, at no cost to the council, to bring that part of the playing fields up to a high standard where sport can be played in secure and safe conditions.

It is a sad fact that because of the activities of a minority of people, who leave dog dirt and broken bottles on the playing fields, security fencing is needed to protect the youngsters playing sport. The security fencing will not be an eyesore as it will be of a green coated open wire mesh type and will be hardly noticeable from the roadside. Do the protesters think that the tennis courts in Clifton Park are an eyesore?

Floodlighting is needed to enable playing, coaching and training to take place during the dark winter months. It is surely better to have youngsters playing sport rather than 'hanging around on street corners'. Modern, well-designed sports floodlights have minimal visual intrusion with the lights shaded and deflected down on to the playing surface. At the nearest houses the amount of illumination from the floodlights will be approximately one tenth of that from an ordinary street light, and when in use the floodlights will be switched off no later than 9pm.

Finally, parking problems should be no worse than at present and could be better. It is accepted that when the professional Rotherham Titans are playing at home, there are problems to residents on the surrounding streets, but that is a separate issue not connected to Rotherham Phoenix RUFC. On Saturdays, when Rotherham Titans are playing away, and on Sundays and weekdays parents, players and officials will park in Clifton Lane Sports Ground and make the short walk on foot to the playing fields.

The club has no plans to build toilets or changing rooms on Herringthorpe Playing Fields - these facilities are already available at the clubhouse at Clifton Lane. Moreover, any such developments would be subject to planning permission in their own right. The planned development on the Playing Fields in partnership with the Council’s Sport Development Team is all about encouraging more young people to take up team sport, an activity which brings health, wellbeing and community benefits to the people of Rotherham and a fitting Olympic legacy.

This is a golden opportunity to provide a sporting facility of which the entire town can be proud, at no cost to the council or local taxpayers. We firmly believe that the best way to secure the future of Herringthorpe Playing Fields as a playing field is to upgrade the facilities to an acceptable modern standard. The alternative is to allow the fields to fall into disuse as more and more sports teams move elsewhere in search of decent pitches and facilities. Anyone who truly purports to be 'friend of Herringthorpe Playing Fields'” should be fully behind this scheme.

Bob Finch Secretary, Rotherham Rugby Club Ltd Junior Section Chair, Rotherham Phoenix RUFC

Read Kath Reeder's original letter arguing against the rugby club's plans.

In support of 'beautiful fields'

What do you think of the plans? Use the 'write a comment buttons' to post your views.