The legacy of Feethams (From The Northern Echo)

The legacy of Feethams

8:18am Thursday 26th November 2009

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As the debate rumbles on over the future of the site of the former home of Darlington Football Club, Paul Cook examines the issues and hears the arguments from both sides of what should be the legacy of Feethams.

AFOOTBALL supporters’ group has backed demands for a sporting legacy to be built on the former ground of Darlington Football Club, as the debate over the future of the town centre site continues.

Darlington Supporters’ Trust has called for the Feethams land to be protected, or funds from its sale to be used for all sports in the town.

However, site owners Darlington Cricket Club has said the foundation deeds of the land allow it to build a housing development.

And its chairman, Brian Johnson, hopes that a statement released today will put an end to the debate.

Planning officers last week approved plans for 146 homes on the Quakers’ former ground. The cricket club will use the proceeds of the sale to develop the cricket ground.

An appeal was made at last week’s planning meeting by Paul Bielby, a former professional footballer who now runs an academy, and Doug Embleton, a founder member of Darlington Supporters’ Trust, to preserve the land for sporting use.

Mr Bielby cited the loss of sporting fields across the town and argued it was in the spirit of the foundation deed to save the site.

Tony Taylor, chairman of Darlington Supporters’ Trust, has backed their calls. He argues that a cricket academy was “elitist and unnecessary”

and the site should be used for wider sporting use.

He has cited a lack of sporting sites for youngsters in the town – Darlington’s schools competitions take place in Middlesbrough – and inadequate disabled facilities.

The planning committee did not take the deeds into account because they form part of civil law, rather than planning law.

But Mr Johnson said the cricket club, which holds a 99- year lease from the Feethams Cricket Field Trust, sought legal advice to ensure it could go ahead with its plans.

Proceeds from the sale will be used to revamp the ground, including the pavilion, changing and other facilities, to bring back first-class cricket or other Durham County games back to Darlington.

It is also Mr Johnson’s long term ambition to build a cricket academy at Feethams for the use of Darlington Cricket Club, the town’s schools and other clubs.

SUPPORTERS’ TRUST

‘ALTHOUGH Darlington Football Club has moved, supporters still feel an emotional attachment to Feethams and given the long history tied up in it, we believe this would be a great opportunity for a legacy which could involve football and others sports.

The idea of a cricket academy appears to us to be rather elitist and also unnecessary, particularly since the county has a major cricketing academy just a few miles up the road.

Furthermore, given the shortage of public funding for facilities around the country as the emphasis appears to be geared towards the 2012 Olympics, this is a time when the sale of Feethams could bring about some real positive improvements for sport in the town.

We would like to see either the development of Feethams as a sporting venue in line with the original deeds or a guarantee that the revenue from the sale ensures that all sports are provided for in the town.

This could also involve football. We are saddened that youngsters in Darlington have to go to Middlesbrough or elsewhere to compete in school competitions; we are also acutely aware of the inadequate facilities that exist for disabled sports in Darlington.

We believe the decision on Feethams’ future should be opened up into a wider debate in the town and not be taken behind closed doors. Given that the land was bestowed as a gift, this legacy should be honoured in the spirit in which it was originally offered.'

CRICKET CLUB

‘FIRST of all, I reject the suggestion that the land at Feethams was in some way donated for the benefit of the public of Darlington.

“The true position is that in 1900, senior cricket club members purchased the entire site of land at Feethams which was then open land.

The purpose was to secure the future of Darlington Cricket Club on the land of which it was then tenant.

A trust was created under the name of the Feethams Cricket Field Trust, the purpose of which was to secure the premises as an open space for cricket and other athletic exercises.

Nowhere in the trust is any mention made of the playing of football, nor is the term athletic exercises defined.

Once the trust was created, the cricket club was granted a tenancy of the entire ground, including the area which later became the football ground.

It was not until after the First World War, about 1921, that the professional football club came to play at Feethams and were granted a lease by the cricket club.

That situation remained until 2003 when the football club, of its own volition, left the ground.

Later, the cricket club had to face the substantial cost of clearing the buildings from the football ground at the demand of the borough council.

The trust document grants powers to sell the land, and the only restriction placed upon the allocation of the proceeds of sale is that they should be used to protect the playing of cricket.

There is no justification in the demand made by the supporters’ trust that any proceeds of sale should be used for the benefit of football.

If and when the land is sold, I can give every assurance that the money will be spent to preserve the playing of cricket and, if possible, an indoor cricket club will be built at Feethams.

“Such a school will be extremely useful, since there is little if any organised cricket in Darlington schools and already the cricket club entertains large numbers of youngster for coaching on Sunday mornings throughout the summer.'

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