Featured image credit: Oldham Athletic
Plans have been announced for a new ‘SportsTown’ project centred around Oldham Athletic’s Boundary Park, while fellow National League club Wealdstone FC has reached an exclusivity agreement with Hillingdon Council to explore plans for a new stadium.
SportsTown will seek to deliver state-of-the-art sporting, health and educational facilities for local residents. A £5m (€5.9m/$6.5m) investment from Oldham Council has been unveiled to kickstart the £70m SportsTown campus.
The cash boost comes from the UK government’s community regeneration fund and builds on £1m previously invested by Oldham Council, which funded a new playing surface at Boundary Park and secured a permanent home for the town’s rugby league club.
Oldham Athletic is currently fourth in the National League. The club, which is owned by the Rothwell family, completed the purchase of Boundary Park in March 2023, with the deal also including the stadium’s car park, the Little Wembley training grounds and surrounding land.
The club said the £5m investment will act as a springboard for further investment to realise the full SportsTown vision.
Darren Royle (pictured), chief executive of Oldham Athletic, said: “SportsTown provides an innovative response to the Oldham Economic Review Board and Oldham Economic and Skills Strategy findings. By harnessing the power of sport, health, wellness, business and education we are moving forwards by creating a unique further and higher education opportunity for the young people of Greater Manchester and beyond.
“The four main sports pathways of football, rugby, netball and cricket will be followed by more opportunities for the Town of Oldham working in tandem with our strategic partners.”
Councillor Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham Council, added: “SportsTown is another example of the power of collaboration and our shared ambitions to create opportunities for our residents. This exciting development will inspire Oldhamers to aim high and achieve their full potential. It creates real educational and career opportunities in sports, health and related fields for our residents while giving our local economy a welcome boost.
“This is just the start for SportsTown which builds on Oldham’s sporting history and shows how we will maximise every opportunity for the next generation, ensuring our communities can grow and lead healthier, happier lives.”
In other news, Hillingdon Council has signed a three-year exclusivity agreement with Wealdstone FC so the club can undertake exploratory investigations and apply for planning permission to create a new stadium and training facilities in the borough.
The council’s cabinet has authorised the singing of the agreement in principle, which relates to two vacant plots of land. The first is adjacent to the former Master Brewer site on Western Avenue, while the second is at Gutteridge Farm.
The agreement will enable the club to further develop its stadium proposals, secure funding and a development partner, and obtain the necessary planning consent. The council will receive a small annual fee for the land as part of the agreement.
In November 2023, the council granted Wealdstone FC permission to undertake initial feasibility studies of the sites and committed to not pursue any other potential projects for an initial six-month period. This was extended by six months after the club evidenced it was progressing with the proposals.
Dominic Whyley, acting chairman of Wealdstone FC, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been granted this exclusivity agreement to facilitate the club’s need to find a new, permanent home which is vital to securing its future and all its ancillary community activities. We wish to place on record our immense appreciation of the support and encouragement given to the club by Hillingdon Council throughout this process.”
Wealdstone FC currently plays at The Vale, which has a capacity of around 4,000. The club, which is 21st in the National League, has previously set its sights on a new 6,300-capacity stadium.
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