The Pitching In Isthmian Football League

Athletic move a little closer to a place of their own

23 Dec 2020 By Ian Townsend

Grays Athletic's hopes of a move to Ship Lane supported by Sport England and Highways England

Six weeks ago we brought you the news that a developer, Group 1 Automotive, had offered Grays Athletic the freehold of Thurrock's former ground at Ship Lane- subject to planning permission being granted for a car preparation site adjacent to the stadium.

The prospect of Athletic having a home of their own once more has now seemingly moved a step closer, as Sport England and Highways England have agreed that- subject to conditions- they will support the application. The matter is now with Thurrock Council for approval (you can see the documents here)

Club Vice-Chairman Glyn Jarvis has written to the council in support of the application. He makes a number of eloquent arguments:

I have been authorised by the Board of Directors of the Club to write in support of the above planning application on behalf of our members and the 500 players, from our four-year-old "Little Avengers", to our walking footballers aged from over fifty years of age, to over seventy years of age, who play football in our name.

Specifically, the Club supports the retention of the land which was previously used as the main Thurrock FC pitch, changing rooms, clubhouse and car parking for community football use in perpetuity. Since the loss of those facilities in March 2018 when Thurrock FC was disbanded, Grays Athletic has taken over the management and running of most of the youth teams who had used the facilities. The Club has found it increasingly difficult to provide affordable "football for fun" and competitive football for all our age groups. This is due to a lack of good quality grass pitches, especially in relation to the provision for winter training and feel it would be a significant community benefit if the disused football ground could be brought back into use, particularly with the enhancement of an artificial pitch which will increase the wider use by the community in Thurrock.

There is currently a significant deficit in Thurrock of artificial 3G football pitches as evidenced by the recent Football Association report "The Thurrock Football Facilities Plan". When Thurrock FC was disbanded, it led to the loss of three grass pitches for community football in Thurrock. This has exacerbated an already difficult situation, especially for our younger boys and girls, whose wellbeing is being badly affected by being prevented from using football to help reduce obesity, enjoy a healthier life style and have important social interaction with other young people.

Without the retention of the land in question for community football use, there will be further pressure on the limited spaces available for community football in Thurrock.'

Read more on this story by heading here.