Thetownend.com

Nice piece in the Adver today about Don leading a campaign to find more pitches in the town to ensure the next Don Rogers doesn't slip through the net.

I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any official connection to the club at the moment but it would be a nice touch if he was involved in some sort of ambassador type role.  With the stadium plans and all I’m sure having a bit of support from the legend wouldn’t go amiss.


http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/sport/sportheadlines/display.var.812147.0.lifes_a_pitch_at_dons_league.php

Cracking article....as with most things in the town, the main problem is with SBC. I was involved with local youth football for a number of years and SBC would always go out of their way to place obstacles in the way of well run local clubs.

 The all time classic being when pitches were closed off during the foot and mouth epidemic...in case an odd ruminent strayed onto them.

Just read it, don rodgers speaks from his heart and if you cut him open footballs would fall out istead of blood.  I understand our secretary finds it hard to find pitches and not only that but the costs involved are stupid.

Hope he sorts it

£50 says thats false

:D I thought that was a good line!

Perhaps him and Alan H from shaw forest can get together and dicuss the issues of pitches in Swindon?

What the fuck!

Manningtons still there?

What has been lost are mainly school pitches.  There has been a large increase in all weather pitches in the Borough.

They are talking about the bit of Mannington that got built on because it was a huge selection of pitches, although they always seemed empty.

It's a bit of a myth I think, because we had a shit load of pitches at Hreod but they were hardly ever in use, so it's not like we have more people wanting to play than facilities available.

FFS, the Brazilians put up with beaches and it seems to work for them :wink:

I had the police called twice on me as a youngster for playing football, once on a school pitch and another time at the town's old pitches at westmead.  Not really the same issue, but I always thought it was ridiculous that there was nowhere set aside for kids to have a kickabout.  Good on Don, I say.

I don't see many beaches in Swindon  :)

it is still there.

"Areas like Mannington just don't exist now. The likes of Shrivenham Road, Drakes Way it's now all buildings and there used to be 11 pitches there.

Dont panic Yeovil

I'm not sure if you were being flippent or not, but...

Swindon Forest Protection Group are meeting the North Wilts & District Football League this evening. Don will be there.

The irony of ironies is that Councillor Nick Martin has always had it in mind to build marked out football pitches, changing facilities etc on the open area on Shaw Forest.

The first SFPG knew about this was well after the stadium fiasco. Which was bloody surprising seeing that we always thought it was earmarked for a wildflower meadow (and that is what is on the 1994 masterplan). Needless to say I am personally dead against it, it just doesn't fit in with the community forest concept.

And before anybody says it - "thats's just being selfish" - I would point out that there is room for two pitches. Funnily enough if the soon-to-be-closed Salt Way School and Windmill Hill School junior pitches in West Swindon were made available for junior football instead then there wouldn't be any need for them on Shaw.

There is also a Government scheme to convert local schools to "Extended Schools". Which means that they become available for community use all day, eveninga and weekends. As in all of the facilities, like the playing fields.  :roll:

If you read between the lines it's patently obvious that Cllr Martin's plans are to sell off more school/council run pitches for development (which has been going on for a long time) and put them somewhere which doesn't cost the council any money. Fucking Judas.

More info at http://www.swindonlink.com/php_article_show.php?id=146

Well I agree that Cllr Martin is a wanker of the highest order, even so there is still a discreprency between your argument of too many pitches and Don's about there being too few.

Personally I think peatmoor tip would be a good place for some pitches, surely the isolation is a good thing so that the kiddies can't cause too much nuisance to neighbours?

Not if you make school pitches available:

"Swindon Borough Council Open Space Audit and Assessment - Adopted August 2004

6.24.11 With regard to junior football pitches there is a shortfall identified of 16.9 pitches. Subsequent research has identified considerable informal usage of school pitches and this would have not appeared in the playing pitch assessment as it is not secured through a formal agreement. This suggests that securing formal community use of school sites may significantly reduce this apparent shortfall in junior pitches. "

There are plenty of unused school pitches that could be made available.


Supervised junior football is not so much the issue here. Out of sight and out of mind makes an ideal location for problems. It is a community forest up there, not a rec.

There's plenty of pitches available, just not ones people have been allowed to use.  How often do you drive past a football pitch and see people actually playing on them?

What might be needed is a slight upgrading and better use of what we do have already.

Well yes, but for some reason I cant see demand for pitches at 9.30 on tuesday mornings being that high

I for one have never been disappointed with our don's (to be read in a Manchester accent) performance.

I'm with our don.

Even at the weekends.  The only ones you'll find heavily booked are the astroturf ones for 6 a side.  I'd concentrate on getting the current stock of facilities up to a better standard before trying to create new ones (note the fact that we do have beaches to play on, it's the Oasis pitches outside, well there is enough bloody sand on them).

I think you have to make the distinction between adult and junior pitches in Don's junior league case, Rob. According to the OSA there is a surplus of nearly 30 adult pitches and this doesn't include the secondary school ones which could be made available for public use.

Well, kids under 11 shouldn't play 11 a side anyway.  It's pointless and is no doubt partially responsible for the lower technical ability of kids in the UK.  Too many parents worried about getting their kids to play the proper game that adults play - anyone having witnessed as a bystander will have noticed the swarm effect at these ages.

The focus until at least secondary school should be on technique.  Even after that I still find full scale 11 a side pitches do little to create talent.

Well SFPG met with the North Wilts peeps tonight. Don couldn't make it unfortunately.  :(

I can understand their arguments loud and clear. Junior pitches disappearing left right and centre. Swindon Borough Council charging them £50 a pop for every tiny persons match on council pitches (e.g. Lydiard).

Fucking council are a joke. Guess what? North Wilts DC let them have Bradon Forest School pitches for a tenner. SBC won't even let them have access to (for example) the Greendown School pitches "because the caretaker won't turn out". What a load of bollocks.

I'm going to offer my services to them to fire some fucks into the council if I can help. There are more than enough school pitches for their needs that sit completely idle on a Sunday morning.