Supporting grassroots football - Ecclesall Rangers under threat

[DeeJayOne]

 

Everyone here will likely have heard of Ecclesall Rangers, the grassroots football club that has nurtured youth teams and talent in Sheffield for decades.

 

Currently around 250 local (and even some not so local!) kids take part in teams attached to Ecclesall Rangers, from nursery teams for U7s to U18s. The organisation aims to expand into teams for young people with disabilities and adequately support girls teams.

 

However, there are problems... The council essentially evicted the club in 2017 when they started changing the area around Bannerdale Playing Fields to create Mercia School (Academy), promising to provide funding and a new place for the teams. However, funding hasn't materialised and proposals always seem to be afterthoughts and inadequate. Teams of children were expected to play on rubbish fields where "professional dog walkers" turn up in vans and release dozens of dogs without clearing up the mess, or where fly-tippers chucked their rubbish all over the pitches and vandals were smashing bottles across the grass, etc.

 

Ecclesall Rangers are now at a crossroads where, despite the hard work and financing from a dedicated group of individuals and volunteers, they are starting to struggle with the current position. They have plans, they have ideas, they have ambitions, they have reasonable expectations and all they want is for the council and their partners to back up their promises of enabling them to continue and provide some funding so they can provide a safe environment and adequate facilities for the kids and volunteers.

 

They have started a petition, and it would be great if you could read and sign it to support grassroots football in Sheffield... for many years this club has done so much good for so many people with so little funding and reliant on goodwill... Imagine what could happen with an appropriate level of funding and facilities..!

 

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

 

Thank you.

[Harrysgame]

Signed.

Absolute scandal, council should be doing everything possible to keep kids in sport. Good club, be shame if it folds. Unfortunatley seems a few junior clubs have similar issues. Any ground share options?

 

[Dandrewchaz]

Signed. It's still amazes me how little money trickles down from bigger clubs especially given how much is in the game. Perhaps an agent tax with 1% of agent's fee gets given to grass roots clubs within the area. They might pass on the cost to the club but would ensure a steady cash flow.

 

[Ever the pessimist]

Even those with pitches have barely played this winter due to their appalling condition. My lad has hardly had a game yet round the corner a 3G pitch goes unused as some red tape prevents FA approved games being played on it.

[s73owl]

Signed 

[Orlando_Trustful]

Grass roots in England is the absolute pits. Scandalous it's allowed to be ran like this when you've got mercenaries earning in a day what clubs like these could probably use in a year. 

[coopswfc76]

Funding is an embarrassment every village should have facility's for kids team right thru to adults teams to run and every town or city should have disabled facilities provided virtually free of charge. 

Team sports are not only important for fitness but building friendships.

Signed 

Edited April 9, 2018 by coopswfc76

[Harrysgame]

Agree 're the weather, all local authorities should be required to build multiple 3g pitches. Always banging in about levels of obesity in kids, surely more kids playing sport would far outweigh the costs of these pitches. I guess this is too sensible for local politicians and councillors.

 

Maybe our local clubs could fund a pitch each, might shame the council into doing something. And would be positive pr for the club's.

 

[Spookone]

They've recently allowed a large new estate to be built at Dore near to me at the side of the football pitches - wont be long before the pitches dissapear is my guess - signed!

 

 

[Harrysgame]

Those pitches at Do re were good, is it the old bank sports club.

 

[vulva]

Why don't Owlstalk sponsor them?

[Bark1062]

Signed

 

The whole setup for supporting grass roots & junior football in this country sucks, the FA are a joke allowing this, junior clubs rely very much on local businesses supporting them without this many would cease to exist.

 

I have been abroad to  junior clubs in Germany Holland Belgium & France where facilities at some of these clubs would put many professional clubs here to shame.

[cockneyvillageowl]

Signed, good luck with the cause. 

[Ronnie Starling]

13 minutes ago, Bark1062 said:

Signed

 

The whole setup for supporting grass roots & junior football in this country sucks, the FA are a joke allowing this, junior clubs rely very much on local businesses supporting them without this many would cease to exist.

 

I have been abroad to  junior clubs in Germany Holland Belgium & France where facilities at some of these clubs would put many professional clubs here to shame.

I have and that was in the early 80s

[steveger]

signed and shared on twatter

[Hitcat]

Is it grassroots football if they play on a synthetic pitch?

[S36 OWL]

2 hours ago, Orlando_Trustful said:

Grass roots in England is the absolute pits. Scandalous it's allowed to be ran like this when you've got mercenaries earning in a day what clubs like these could probably use in a year. 

 

spot on mate 

[OwlInCardiff]

Signed.

 

Maybe someone could tweet the Sky commentator who's a Wednesday fan. They seem to have loads of cash to throw around, at least in the Premier

[DeeJayOne]

Legends.

 

Please try to share and spread the word too.

 

It's important clubs like this exist, especially in a time where engaging youth is so important.

 

 

[Bukta]

2 hours ago, Orlando_Trustful said:

Grass roots in England is the absolute pits. Scandalous it's allowed to be ran like this when you've got mercenaries earning in a day what clubs like these could probably use in a year. 

Combine this with the most inept council in the UK and it’s not great is it?