NEWS FROM HQ
HQ club mirror
Ever thought of getting your club listed as a community asset? Well Communities Minister Marcus Jones thinks you should. Here he explains why, and how it could protect your club. On the topic of protection, does your club have an up-to-date Flood Plan in place? Do you know what action needs to be taken, when and by whom? If the answer is no, then have a look at Sport England’s advice on developing a water-tight Flood Plan. Finally, if you’re feeling drowned by the number of members huddled over their smart phones, then have a look at a novel idea from Beefeater – a No Phone Zone.
List your club as a community asset C
ommunities Minister Marcus Jones has called on supporters and councils to up their game and do more to help boost sport locally by listing their grounds and clubs as Community Assets. Since 2012, community groups have had the right to help protect sports facilities and other much-loved local buildings or land by listing them as Community Assets. More than 3,000 assets are now listed. This means that an owner cannot sell a ground or stadium, pavilion or pitch without a supporters group knowing about it or having the chance to put together a bid to buy it on behalf of the community. “Clubs are rooted in their communities and many supporters’ trusts around the country have been exercising their rights and having more of a say in how their grounds and stadiums are run,” said Marcus Jones. “Taking control can not only secure their future, but it can also help them to grow and develop new commercial opportunities that help boost local economies.” Community Asset kits have now been made available to supporters to give them more of a say over their clubs and their grounds future. “I want to see more sports fans up their game by converting their community rights to ensure
Plymstock Albion Oaks Rugby Football Club
44 CLUB MIRROR
Oxford United Supporters Trust
Marcus Jones that their clubs and grounds remain at the heart of their local sporting communities,” said Jones. Oxford United Supporters Trust was the first club to make use of the scheme, listing the Kassam stadium in May 2013 and more recently Tewkesbury Rugby Club listed their club as an Asset of Community Value with their local council.
Tewkesbury Rugby Club In 2014, Plymouth Council handed over the 22 acre Horsham Playing Fields to the trustees of Plymstock Albion Oaks Rugby Football Club. The transfer to community control provided the club with a platform to attract investment and the club is now going from strength to strength, securing lottery funding for a new pavilion, sealing a kit deal for all of their 16 teams and gaining promotion to the Cornwall-Devon League. “No one wants to see their sports club kicked into touch so why not follow the examples of Tewkesbury Rugby Club and Plymstock Albion Oaks and explore the range of support and help available,” said Jones. • To list your club as a community asset, visit www.mycommunityrights.org.uk
