Newmarket Rugby Club in plea for help from council over its future
Newmarket Rugby Club is appealing to a council to help it stay in the town which has been its home for nearly 70 years.
Because of ongoing disputes with the Newmarket Sports Development Association (NSDA) which leases the former Scaltback middle school playing fields, where the club is currently based, from Suffolk County Council, the club said it was being forced to look for an alternative location for next season to secure its future.
“The best and only alternative option in Newmarket is the George Lambton playing field in Fordham Road,” club secretary Maria Marsh told town councillors on Monday.
She said the club, which currently has a membership of more than 500, of which over 220 are children, was approaching West Suffolk Council to take a short lease on part of the playing field, which she said was in accordance with the terms of the original head lease agreed back in November 1973 between the Hon George Lambton and Newmarket Urban District Council.
Ms Marsh said she hoped the new lease, for which the club would pay £4,000 a year, could start in September.
“We would have an obligation to permit other sports clubs and groups to use the facilities by arrangement, in line with the club’s charitable objectives, including users of the proposed new sports hub planned for the former St Felix school site next door,” she said.
She told councillors if the district council agreed to the club’s request it planned to put up a fence round the area it leased to prevent dogs fouling it, erect lighting and temporary cabins for changing.
“The lease would be conditional on getting planning approval for the improvements,” she said.
Ms Martin said the club had support in principle for the move from the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
“The RFU has indicated that grant funding may be available to help with capital costs of establishment,” she said and asked town councillors for their support.
Cllr Andy Drummond, who together with Cllr Rachel Hood, has been working closely with the club in a bid to keep it in Newmarket, said at Monday’s meeting: “We have been working to help what has been a difficult situation with the NSDA. They are not an easy organisation to deal with and mediation has been unsuccessful.
“If there is a possibility of getting West Suffolk to support this the club will be able to stay in Newmarket, if we can’t it will be forced to leave.”
Councillors agreed to discuss the issue further at a meeting of the full council later this month.
Ms Marsh told them that if the club could not secure a lease at the George Lambton playing field it would be forced to look at alternative sites, including the old polo ground at Dullingham and a site in Bottisham.
In a letter to Ian Gallin, chief executive of West Suffolk Council, Peter Boyle, chairman of Newmarket Rugby Club, said: “Having considered a very large number of alternatives there are no feasible or deliverable options to keep Newmarket rugby club in Newmarket other than the short term lease we are offering for part of the George Lambton playing field.
“In addition our proposal would actually increase the number of quality sports pitches in Newmarket as the playing fields at Scaltback would still be available to other sports clubs.”
He said difficulties the club had in getting long term security through Suffolk County Council at Scaltback and what he called the frequent and ongoing disputes with the NSDA meant the club was unable to access the funding available for it to develop and grow.
Robert Voss, speaking on behalf of the NSDA, said it was not aware the club was looking to move to the George Lambton playing fields.
“The NSDA and NRUFC have enjoyed a relationship spanning 50 plus years and we are unaware that there is currently a conflict between us, having come through a very positive negotiation process resulting in a licence being agreed for the season 24/25.
“We wish the rugby club all the best for the future,” he said.
