Monday, January 30, 2006
Monkton Stadium, running on empty?
I have often wondered how Monkton Stadium in Jarrow ever managed to attract the type of funding that was required to bring the old Metupa Sports ground up to a standard where national junior level competitions could be held. It was due of course to the intensive lobbying and dedication of the small band of hardened enthusiasts who make up the Jarrow and Hebburn Athletics Club, and their lifetime mentor Jimmy Hedley (the man responsible for bringing us "the Jarra Arra" Steve Cram.) This small band of people helped to build, sustain, and develop this small facility into a decent arena where the budding athletes of tomorrow can be nurtured and trained.
To help save the Council Taxpayer some money, our Council wishes to close some of the facilities at Monkton Stadium during the day. The stadium benefits from having community facilities, weight gyms, etc. as well as the athletics track, and as one might expect when a decision such as this is announced, a few people start bumping their gums in annoyance. Today's Shields Gazette carries the story on it's front page, and one might be forgiven for thinking that the whole stadium was about to close forever!
This is not the case, some facilities will be available to help people get fit, remain, or improve their fitness and stamina, in the evenings or at weekends.It is a simple solution for reducing costs when people clearly are not supporting the centre during the daytime, it's rather pointless staffing the building, paying wages, heating, and lighting costs, when nobody is turning up to use the facility.
The athletics club will still use the stadium, it isn't about to be swallowed up by the earth, but if people feel so strongly about other facilities being available during the day, then they ought to shift there backsides along to Jarrow to make use of them. If there is little or no demand for these facilities then lock the doors!
I fully support this quite justified decision.
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Shields Gazette
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Curly Born in 1956
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