Banning soccer club 'is a form of apartheid' (From Daily Echo)
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Banning soccer club 'is a form of apartheid'
1:40pm Tuesday 20th November 2012 in News
By Bethan Phillips, Reporter
Fareham Borough Council boss Sean Woodward.
A CIVIC boss has branded a decision to bar a football club from a Whiteley sports pitch a “form of apartheid”.
The community’s parish council has decided that the Meadowside Recreation Ground can only be hired by Whiteley teams because it has been “swamped” with requests from sports groups.
Burridge AFC, which has been playing at the ground on a casual basis for several years, has now been told it can no longer hire any of the clay pitches because they are not a Whiteley team.
Fareham Borough Council leader Sean Woodward says the decision is unfair.
He said: “Whiteley Parish Council seems to be practising some form of apartheid. It would be like saying the community centre in Fareham is now closed to anybody unless they live in Fareham – that would be crazy.
“The football club are very upset about it – they live in the area, they pay their taxes and they don’t see why they can’t continue to hire the rec in Whiteley.”
The chairman of Burridge AFC, Barrie Becheley, said he suspected that the pitch was not being used at the times they were trying to hire it.
He said: “I’ve got a feeling that the sort of days and times we want it the pitch is quite often not played on anyway, which seems crazy.
“I think this is discrimination. I’ve been booking it on a casual basis for five or six years when our pitch is waterlogged.
“It’s very inconvenient – I have always relied on Meadowside as a back up.”
Whiteley Parish Council took over the running of the recreation ground around a year ago from Winchester City Council and pays for its upkeep.
Chairman Mike Evans says the decision was taken because so many teams want to book the pitches.
He said: “Whiteley Wanderers have 24 junior teams and two adult teams – and there are only three pitches.
“The parish council took the decision because of the demand. It’s as simple as that.
“We just can’t accommodate everyone. We don’t want to pick and choose – so we just have to make it exclusive to the Whiteley Wanderers.
“We don’t want to stop anybody playing sport but we have got to look after our own.”
Comments(15)
elvisimo
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2:15pm Tue 20 Nov 12
sparkysaint
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2:24pm Tue 20 Nov 12
sarfhamton
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2:37pm Tue 20 Nov 12
userds5050
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3:00pm Tue 20 Nov 12
sparkysaint wrote:Soccer's not an American word. It's short for Association football.
He has the definition of Apartheid right. It's just a weird situation to use the word in. However I'm more annoyed with the use of the word 'soccer', we're not American.
AD07881
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3:01pm Tue 20 Nov 12
sarfhamton wrote:I like it
Whiteley supremacists
housewife
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3:12pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Lockssmart
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3:20pm Tue 20 Nov 12
rickey
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3:30pm Tue 20 Nov 12
Apartheid =segregated = restricted to one group (plus he said a form of Apartheid)
Soccer = shortened form of Association football from the late 1800's.
All this because they can't be bothered with choosing. They could allow the teams to liaise with Whiteley Wanderers and if they are not using it then the others can. Seems a simple exercise which I would assume that a Parish Council would be capable of. I do think that the words "We don’t want to stop anybody playing sport but we have got to look after our own.” does strike me as a form of Apartheid.
rickey
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3:39pm Tue 20 Nov 12
housewife wrote:Can we assume that he is supporting Burridge AFC in their bid to use the pitch. On the other hand I do know that he just likes to get his picture in the paper. This is a nice big one of him which makes him look kind of majestic don't you think. I'm sure that will go straight into his album or maybe in a frame over the fireplace.
Why is the leader of Fareham BC butting on about a parish that is in Winchester District?
Sovietobserver
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3:49pm Tue 20 Nov 12
housewife wrote:Because Barrie Becheley, chairman of Burridge (in Fareham BC) AFC , is also a director of a large company in Locks Heath (also Fareham BC), so naturally Sean Woodward is looking after his interests, even though Mr. Becheley is resident and has other businesses in Eastleigh BC area, so there is no harm in them having a snipe at Winchester CC or Whiteley parish council is there, old pals act no doubt.
Why is the leader of Fareham BC butting on about a parish that is in Winchester District?
MisterGrimsdale
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5:08pm Tue 20 Nov 12
sarfhamton wrote:Definitely a B+
Whiteley supremacists
andysaints007
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1:20am Wed 21 Nov 12
userds5050 wrote:I would love to see you at a football match and start using that word when you talk to people - idiot
sparkysaint wrote:Soccer's not an American word. It's short for Association football.
He has the definition of Apartheid right. It's just a weird situation to use the word in. However I'm more annoyed with the use of the word 'soccer', we're not American.
userds5050
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10:22am Wed 21 Nov 12
andysaints007 wrote:Ha, I didn't say I used it. Just it was a common mistake it was an American word. How does that make me an idiot? Jeez. You need to take a long look in the mirror.
userds5050 wrote:I would love to see you at a football match and start using that word when you talk to people - idiot
sparkysaint wrote:Soccer's not an American word. It's short for Association football.
He has the definition of Apartheid right. It's just a weird situation to use the word in. However I'm more annoyed with the use of the word 'soccer', we're not American.
Brownbear77
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12:51am Thu 22 Nov 12
Isn't this the guy who said the Yew Tree Drive bollards shouldn't be lowered as Burridge shouldn't be a pressure valve for Whiteley traffic?
Now he's campaigning for his cronies in Swanwick and Burridge for them to use Whiteley facilities.
Wind your neck in and wake up Sean!
I'm sure not opening the bollards is nothing to do with you owning a home near the proposed route, or your ownership of LB Healthcare also on the route? That would be scandalous and I'm sure you are a man of honour.....
Ref the football, the Fareham BC based team is looking to continue to use pitch when theirs is waterlogged - I'd suggest even if the pitch isn't in use when you want it, if it's that wet you will be tearing it up for the residents of Whiteley who pay the Parish Council to look after their interests not FBC residents. You have Mr Woodward to do that as he clearly doesn't care about the 2000 requests to open up YTD - which is amazing as he does so well out of their ill health at LB Healthcare.
MGRA says...
2:01pm Tue 20 Nov 12