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Rugby club is a victim of its own success
RUGBY club bosses have begged South Shields MP David Miliband for help after outgrowing their ground.
Westoe's First XV this year achieved National status, but rather than being able to build on the success, the club has become a victim of it.
There are now a record number of 300 junior members, which, together with swelling fixture lists and increased training demands, means the five-acre Wood Terrace ground in South Shields it has occupied since 1875 – and shares with South Shields Cricket Club – is now inadequate.
During a recent visit to Westoe Rugby Club, the Foreign Secretary was made aware of the problems on his own doorstep, as his constituency home is just 300 yards away.
Committee member and club stalwart member Ken Reay said that while rugby is traditionally a middle-class game, Westoe's membership is spread evenly across all parts of the town.
And the dozens of youngsters, aged from six upwards, who fill the ground on Sunday morning training sessions, supervised by veteran players and parents, come from all backgrounds.
Mr Reay said: "We could expand, but to do so we have to have more space. All we have here is a solitary pitch and a training area.
"The cramped situation is in contrast to the expansive facilities at most opponents' grounds, and makes all the more remarkable the senior squad's ascent to National 2 North after winning four championship titles in the past decade."
Vice-chairman Ian Etchells told Mr Miliband the long-term objective is to relocate when a legal restriction preventing the sale of the ground lapses in a few years' time.
He said: "We have outgrown our own facilities and need additional green space. Our ground has passed its sell-by date."
It was hoped a solution may be provided by land freed by educational reorganisation in the town, such as the playing fields of Brinkburn School, soon to be closed to become part of the new complex on the former King George site.
Mr Miliband promised to raise the club's problems with council chiefs, and said: "It is a great asset to the town. It is part of what makes South Shields a great place, and I can see it has become a victim of its own success."
He was made an honorary life member and presented with a club tie and mini player jerseys for sons Isaac James, four, and Jacob, two.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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