Draft submitted to meeting of Steering Group 11 Oct 2005

Sport & Leisure

written by John Parker

INFORMAL PROVISION

1. Despite the rapid expansion of housing development starting some 40 years ago, Yateley is fortunate to have significant and well-used areas of land for informal recreation. Yateley Country Park is managed as a nature reserve and is a favourite haunt for ramblers and other walkers. The historic Yateley Green retains a “park-like” atmosphere and is used extensively for informal activities (mainly fishing and play areas for children) as well as formal sports (football and cricket). Its common land status gives it much needed protection ; but that also limits the extent to which formal sport can be developed and the quality of pitches has not improved over the years.The area also invites acts of anti-social behaviour including vandalism and litter.

2. The river Blackwater provides the natural border with the County of Berkshire. It is fished and its footpath is well used by walkers and bird-watchers attracted by conservation work on adjacent lakes and the variety of species of migratory and other birds.

FORMAL PROVISION

3. Outdoor sports provision is concentrated mainly at Yateley Green, Darby Green ,(both managed by the Town Council ) Sean Devereux Park , Tri Lakes and other lakes bordering Eversley.

4. In addition to football and cricket, Yateley Bowls Club has its own, fenced area on Yateley Green and has an active and thriving membership who have taken on responsibility for maintaining the rinks. Nearby is a multi-purpose hard-surface and floodlit court which can be hired from the Town Council for tennis, 5 a side football and other purposes.

5. Darby Green facilities are used almost exclusively by junior football clubs.

6. Sean Devereux Park is on privately owned land and leased to the Town Council : it caters mainly for football and cricket. There are 2 senior , 3 junior and other football pitches , some of which are used both regularly and for occasional “festival” purposes. Recent drainage works have done much to improve the playing surfaces; but changing accommodation for junior teams is poor and in need of replacement and enlargement. Senior teams fare better for changing rooms in a purpose built and Town Council-owned building. Built some 20 years ago, the original intention was to add a second phase to provide kitchen and social facilities ; but this did not materialise because no funds were available.

7. Yateley Cricket and Hockey Association occupy the remainder of the Sean Devereux Park site. In 1999, with the support of Lottery funding, Hart District Council and other donors,the area was re-developed to provide a new Clubhouse with changing and social facilities , partial drainage improvements and a new cricket square.The Hockey Club plays its league matches on Astroturf pitches : at Frogmore but mainly in neighbouring Berkshire . Festival hockey matches are played on grass at Sean Devereux Park.

8. Over the years, gravel extraction has resulted in a number of lakes some of which are used for fishing and others for water sports. One of the lakes boasts one of the most famous fisheries in the country attracting visitors from a wide area.

9. Adjacent to Sean Devereux Park is the Blackwater Valley Golf Club. Privately owned, it offers a “pay and play” 9 hole course , a floodlit driving range and a clubhouse .

10. Indoor sports facilities are concentrated mainly at Frogmore Leisure Centre and Yateley Centre in School Lane, though venues such as Yateley Village Hall also provide facilities. Yateley has a wide variety of Clubs using these facilities including squash, badminton, Aikido, Karate, swimming and indoor football and cricket training.

SUMMARY

11. Yateley has an active sport and leisure community. As a consequence of its development in to a Town, demand for facilities almost invariably exceeds supply and the quality of provision ranges from good to poor. Pressure on both financial and manpower resources has limited local authority input in to improvements and attempts to set up co-ordinating , umbrella organisations have failed largely because of a lack of direction and the simple fact that most people are too busy running their own Clubs. There is a need for a strategy for the development of sport and leisure over the next twenty years.

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