The town hall took over the May & Baker Sports Club site last year after the club went into liquidation, reports Nick Clark, Local Democracy Reporter
A sports and social club in Dagenham could be transformed into a “multi-use sports hub” if the council can find the funds.
Barking and Dagenham Council leaders backed a plan to redevelop the May & Baker Sports Club in Eastbrook yesterday (Tuesday 21st).
However, they still need to find almost £5million to fund it.
Labour council deputy leader Saima Ashraf said the plan is “targeted at addressing identified gaps and growing demand within the local football market including women’s and girls, and disability football”.
She added: “The May & Baker site offers a significant opportunity to develop an even more substantial sporting enterprise for the borough.”
The council took over the site in April last year after May & Baker Sports Club went into liquidation the previous February.
It approached the Football Foundation – a partnership between the Premier League, the Football Association and the government – to express interest in grant funding to redevelop the site that spring.
The site currently has seven football pitches, a tennis court and cricket pitches. There is also a clubhouse, a bar and kitchen, a gym and changing rooms.
However, the buildings on site were put up in 1978 and last refurbished 26 years ago. Council documents say the club’s “changing/shower annex and the boxing/judo building are life expired”.
They say redevelopment could introduce “3G pitches, a potential new facility and an improved multi-sports offer at the May & Baker site”.
The Football Foundation says it could provide 60% of the funding to redevelop the site, up to £6.9m, through its football hubs programme.
Once redeveloped, the council would then lease the site at a pepperorn rent to the National Football Trust.
The trust would then appoint a professional leisure operator to manage the site – likely to be its charity subsidiary Leisure United – taking responsibility for maintaining, repairing and maintaining it.
But the council still needs to find the remaining 40% of redevelopment funds – some £4.7m – from other sources. The Football Foundation won’t fund any scheme that is part financed by private, or for-profit organisations.
Council documents say the town hall could bid for £500,000 each from the London Marathon Charitable Trust and the Wembley Stadium Foundation.
They also say it could source £100,000 from strategic community infrastructure levy funds that developers pay to the council as part of planning permission agreements.
Documents add that some surplus income from the Bobby Moore Sports Hub in Parsloes Park – which is another Football Foundation hub – could be used to fund the redevelopment.
However documents say that even if the council secures all this cash, “there is likely to be a £3m+ funding gap to bridge”.
They add: “The council is exploring smaller pots of funding which may be available from interested cricket, tennis and rugby bodies, although it remains uncertain whether this will be in sufficient quantity to close the gap.”
Cllr Ashraf said: “While considerable work remains to be completed and further funding secured the hubs programme proposal presents the greatest potential to deliver approximately £7million in external investment.”
