Newark and Sherwood support for community football and cultural events

Funded by both the District Council and the YMCA, new stands and seating will be installed at the YMCA Community and Activity Village, Bowbridge Road, Newark to achieve three things.

Firstly, by introducing the stands, other events and activities can take place at the Village, on the scale of events such as the Newark Festival. Utilising periods when the pitches are not used for football, the Village will be able to host more activities and events for the residents of, and visitors to, the district which will be a huge boost for the local community.

Secondly, the seating will allow the Village to welcome more significant footballing opportunities to the district, such as County championship matches, which require a higher level pitch provision than the district currently has.

Finally, the seating could allow the ground to be re-graded to a level which allows up to step five football to be played, future-proofing the facility

This announcement comes before the YMCA is due to open its doors later this year after undergoing a major development that will see the Village become a hub for sports and community provision in Newark.  The aim of the new seating installation is to further enhance the facilities with a view to widening the Village’s offer even further.

Councillor David Lloyd, Leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, explained why the installation of new seating is so important: “The District Council and YMCA investment forms a significant part of our wider commitment to enhance sports and cultural facilities for the benefit of all our residents.  It will be a great resource for the pitches to be used for a whole host of purposes when the new seating is installed.

“We are keen to build on the momentum and passion that has been so evident since the outbreak of the pandemic from a number of community groups as well as sports and cultural providers and individuals across the district. And this is another step towards delivering our aspiration to provide high quality sports and cultural facilities to the local community.

“The upgraded facility will, in the future, allow the site to host higher tier football in the hope that our teams continue to climb the footballing leagues.”

Todd Cauthorn, Executive Director, YMCA Newark and Sherwood, said: “We agree wholeheartedly in the value of raising the aspirations of local people in Newark through football and, as such, are deeply committed to elevating grassroots teams.

“Our charity has a responsibility to the community groups that have been with us from the beginning. This responsibility especially refers to younger teams and partner clubs, which have grown exponentially since our opening in 2018, and who are the YMCA Village’s priority clubs through our funding with the Football Foundation.

“The current YMCA site accommodates a weekly footfall of 2,000 football players from 210 teams, and so this development will benefit many of our younger players. This is particularly important as the YMCA Village is first-and-foremost for children, young people and families’ and that is always at the heart of our decision making.”

The development at the YMCA Community and Activity Village was in part funded by the £25m Government’s Town Fund submission by Newark Towns Fund Board.  This is one of nine priority projects for the district which also includes the Air and Space Institute, Newark Construction College and the Castle Gatehouse project.

A planning application for the additional stands has now been made. For further information about the facilities at the YMCA Community and Activity Village, please visit their website at www.ymcanewarksherwood.org.