Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I am writing to challenge the Council to address the shortfall in sporting facilities available to the Baldock community.

I followed the fortunes of the "old" Baldock Town FC as a kid and have been involved with the "new" carnation since day one as a player through to today as a main figurehead within the club. I also played my youth football for Baldock Town Youth.

Appreciating that my views maybe biased being involved with the club, but Baldock Town FC has all the ingredients to put Baldock firmly on the sporting map - the only ingredient missing is a site to call home.

Since 2003, we have turned the club from a park football playing outfit into a club rubbing shoulders with some of the best in the County. This is all the more amazing when you consider that 75% of that period has seen the club's 1st team playing outside the Town! I've personally put years of effort - voluntarily - into getting this club to where it is today - on the verge of promotion to the ninth tier of English football.

Since day one, we have had hurdle after hurdle put in front of us and yet we have still continued to battle the odds. There comes a time though when there has to be light at the end of the tunnel - something that makes all the voluntary man hours worth their while. Baldock Town FC have shown that they are not a short term flash in the pan. We are genuinely serious about creating a sporting hub that the community can be proud of.
The club as a whole (including the Youth FC) have been shelling out tens of thousands on pitch hire outside the Town for a number of years and there appears little or no appetite from the Council to address this.

In my view, Councils want to be remembered for their legacies and success stories. You have a thriving football club right here on your doorstep who are doing all the right things, but they need your help to fully realise and unlock its undoubted potential.

I look at other areas in the County and there are pitches everywhere! A sporting facility which the people of Baldock are put at the forefront of is what the adult and junior teams of Baldock Town FC in particular are absolutely crying out for - don't miss this opportunity, with future planning of Baldock at stake, to address the need for sporting and recreational provision.