If we lose training times battle, we’ll quit youth football, claims Cowling (From Essex County Standard)
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If we lose training times battle, we’ll quit youth football, claims Cowling
9:00pm Monday 17th September 2012 in News By Andrea Collitt
Controversial move – Colchester United owner Robbie Cowling
YOUTH football at Colchester United could be under threat, its owner has claimed.
Robbie Cowling has told fans if the club is not allowed to extend its training hours at its new Florence Park ground, in Tiptree , 34 jobs could be lost.
The claims were made in an open letter urging the public to support the club’s controversial planning application to Colchester Council .
The application, submitted in July, asks for all-day use of pitches at the ground.
One of 34 conditions attached to the original planning permission was training should only take place between 10.30am and 1pm, Mondays to Saturdays.
However, the U’s now want their players to be able to practise between 10am and 6pm from Mondays to Saturdays, and from 10am to 1pm on Sundays.
The club recently moved to the £2.5million complex, in Grange Road, after years training at Essex University and other sites.
However, residents claimed the changes would be disruptive.
Mr Cowling said in the letter: “It is difficult to understand why the application should be turned down, but if the club were to fail to get the hours of use it has applied for, it would have little choice but to pull out of youth football altogether and that would be devastating for the club, the young players and for the 19 full-time and 15 part-time staff who are employed in our youth department.”
However, Terry Shuttleworth, who lives beside the training ground, said “children’s football” was never meant to be have been on the cards at the ground as it was intended for elite professional footballers.
He added: “Now, all of a sudden, it is apocalypse now for youth football unless club owner Robbie Cowling gets totally his own way, as he is used to doing. “His latest threats are the act of a childish and unreasonable man. The council needs to listen to people who are genuinely affected by his grandiose plans.”
The U’s also want to be allowed to use more than two pitches at a time for one-off events, and for removal of a 40m buffer zone between the pitches and any new homes.
It is currently restricted to using just two of the pitches simultaneously within the time restrictions.
Mr Cowling added in his letter that some fixtures involve teams from as far away as Swansea and it occasionally needs to use the facility on Saturday afternoons and on Sunday mornings.
Nearly 100 people have already voiced their opinions on the bid. So far, the majority are opposed.
Colchester Council will rule on the application by October 19.
Colchester United declined to comment.
Comments(10)
anotbot
says...
10:02pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Barside1
says...
10:23pm Mon 17 Sep 12
The club were treading very thin ice if they thought they could move the goalposts further on down the line.
If the entire youth system is under threat now and Mr Cowling does not get his way I would expect him to stand down as Chairman with immediate effect.
I think it is fair to say that the club is in crisis now - the managerial fiasco is insignificant when compared to the headline above this article.
It would appear to me that either Robbie Cowling has been very ill advised or that he is on some kind of power trip.
Having said that I applaud the man for his amazing cycle trips in aid of a cancer charity.
I have a feeling that the Cowling / Ward combo may be history by October.
Boris
says...
11:40pm Mon 17 Sep 12
Barside1 wrote:Dream on, Barside 1. CUFC is Cowling's personal property. Why should he stand down as chairman unless somebody buys the club from him? Can you afford to buy it?
The precise times and durations that Mr Cowling is now requesting should have been specified in detail in the original application.
The club were treading very thin ice if they thought they could move the goalposts further on down the line.
If the entire youth system is under threat now and Mr Cowling does not get his way I would expect him to stand down as Chairman with immediate effect.
I think it is fair to say that the club is in crisis now - the managerial fiasco is insignificant when compared to the headline above this article.
It would appear to me that either Robbie Cowling has been very ill advised or that he is on some kind of power trip.
Having said that I applaud the man for his amazing cycle trips in aid of a cancer charity.
I have a feeling that the Cowling / Ward combo may be history by October.
Reginald47
says...
12:03am Tue 18 Sep 12
Barside1
says...
7:58am Tue 18 Sep 12
There are a number of alternative possibilities if he should do so.
I was at Colchester United when it changed hands once for £1.
The pound coin actually fell to the ground while the transaction was carried out at Layer Road.
How anyone could invest millions in a project and get themselves into a situation like this is beyond me.
I was with the Garrison guys last week and if Colchester United are unable to play youth games at Tiptree then there could still be a provision to return to Garrison B - even the current Colchester United board may not be up to pace with this.
One thing for sure, Colchester United is a bigger entity than its Chairman and despite his efforts and way of operating new ownership, wherever it may come from, may enter a brave new world with a different mode.
The new training facility was a mighty project, but the beach was good enough for our players to train on under Dick Graham!
It will be interesting to see how this all goes come mid October, there is an awful lot at stake.
The new training facility does not seem to have impacted on the current squad judging by performances and results.
Where the players train is 'fluff' in the main scheme of things.
I still can't work out how Five Lakes was 'too far away'.
Anyway, I'm off to Heathrow to get away for a few days.
x
For instance,
Goonerboy
says...
10:38am Tue 18 Sep 12
Say It As It Is OK?
says...
11:57am Tue 18 Sep 12
Goonerboy wrote:Getting them around a table will only work if everyone, including R Cowling, is prepared to move. Saying things like closing down youth football, ie; taking his ball home! if he doesn't get his own way doesn't portray him as being a reasonable or very caring person.
They should have sorted out the times when the original application went in , but now its there it is a fantastic facility . I cant see how extended use could impact on the locals apart from possible traffic , it certainly wont creat much noise . Maybe if the club were willing to allow local use of the facility it may placate them a bit . They are right that teams travel from all over , the day we were there the youth team was from Cardiff ... but they knew that when they built it. Shame such a positive investment in the club and local community has to denerate into arguements , get them all round a table
He knew exactly what he was doing agreeing to the conditions in the first place just to get his planning application through and now he's showing his real colours by making threats of job losses and loss of facilities as a lever against the council.
2012_Jimbob
says...
11:49pm Tue 18 Sep 12
Brazzaville
says...
4:38pm Wed 19 Sep 12
“children’s football” was never meant to be have been on the cards at the ground as it was intended for elite professional footballers"
In July 2012 Colchester were awarded a category 2 status youth academy as part of the EPPP. The EPPP is basically the governing structure that awards the category status (cat 1 being the highest) the EPPP sales that certain criteria is met before category status is given. But Colchester utd wouldn't have known about required (by the EPPP)training times when they originally submitted permission to build the new training facility. So it's not all to do with robbie cowling bending the rules, but more to do with changes to academy requirements.
I haven't been to the new facility but can't understand how residents can be against it as it looks immaculate in the online pictures. I'm also guessing there is a car park so there would be no issues with cars being parked on local estates. And I can't see how 20-30 kids training up until 6pm can cause that much noise pollution.
This facility could provide some local lads the opportunity to fulfil their dreams and make it as. A pro footballer. It could also (hopefully) make our local professional team more successful in the future, which will help create jobs and revenue for local businesses.
I get the feeling that some people just like moaning for the sake of it and don't like change or progression.
bluefinn says...
9:19pm Mon 17 Sep 12
I do feel sorry for Colchester supporters, youth coaches and youth team players. It would seem that you are all being taken for a ride by Mr Cowling. It appears that it is all just business to him, which is all very well, but unfortunately it appears that he is not very competent in this business sector.