Shropshire junior football club in talks on future of pitches

Nova United Football Club is pushing Telford & Wrekin Council for a long-term lease at Shuker Field so that the club can improve the site.

Nova United, which fields 16 teams in the Telford and Shropshire leagues, currently pays thousands of pounds each year for the maintenance of Shuker Field, including the upkeep of the pitches and the changing rooms.

By securing a long-term lease, the club would be able to apply for funding from other sources, chairman Richard Jones said.

Much of the greenfield land in and around Newport has been earmarked for housing developments.

The move, under Telford and Wrekin Council's Community Club Asset Transfer Policy, would safeguard Shuker Field for community use for years to come.

Mr Jones said: "Nova United is now in its 39th season of junior football and the committee is doing all it can to secure junior football in Newport for the long term. The Shuker facilities, including pitch maintenance, are fully funded by Nova United and it is vital that the club is able to access funding from other sources.

"However, this can only be achieved with a more secure agreement with Telford & Wrekin Council regarding the use of Shuker Field. Discussions with the council have been positive to date and we would like to thank members and officers for their support. However, we do need to bring the discussions to a favourable conclusion in the shortest possible time frame."

Last March Telford & Wrekin Council agreed a new policy to enable community clubs to have more direct control over the facilities they use.

Russell Griffin, a council spokesman, said: "The council's sports and leisure team have been in discussion with Nova in respect of a potential transfer of the pitches to them on a long-term lease in accordance with the council's Community Club Asset Transfer Policy."

More than 300 children aged between seven and 18 train with Nova each Saturday. The club was formed in 1975 by Billy Bowering.

A handful of players who started at Nova turned professional, including England midfielder Paul Bracewell, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest forward David Johnson and striker Adam Proudlock, whose best days came at Wolverhampton Wanderers.