APPENDIX 5

AREA ASSESSMENTS

AREA 1:- East and West, , Heighington, Coniscliffe, Pierremont.

1. Table 1 identifies the total number of available pitches for all sports in the study area.

Table 1 : Pitch accessibility within area one

Pitches per Senior Junior Mini Senior Junior Cricket Hockey ward football football football rugby rugby Wards A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C Cockerton East 1 1 Cockerton West 3 1 1 1 1 Faverdale 1 Heighington 2 1 1 1 Total 3 3 0 0 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0

Football

2. Table 2 identifies the football clubs and teams are known to play within the study area.

3. Table 3 identifies the number of people within the area who would be needed to generate one football team. This equation is based on the number of teams currently playing in the study area, as shown above.

Table 2 : Football Teams within Area 1

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington Pizza Perfect F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Invitation Branksome Comp Cockerton West League R.A Ladies F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Invitation Darlington R.A Cockerton East League Darlington R.A Reserves F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Invitation Darlington R.A Cockerton East League Darlington Railway Athletic F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Invitation Darlington R.A Cockerton East League Darlington Railway Athletic Senior Northern Echo Sunday Invitation Darlington R.A Cockerton East o.40s F.C League Darlington Spraire (Sunday) F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Invitation Darlington R.A Cockerton East League Darlington Stadia F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Invitation Branksome Comp Cockerton West League Darlington the Mowden F.C Senior Darlington & District VJC Branksome Comp Cockerton West League Darlington the Northern Echo Senior Darlington & District VJC Branksome Comp Cockerton West F.C League Darlington Mount Pleasant Junior Teesside Junior Football Alliance Branksome Comp Cockerton West Rangers F.C U11s Table 2 continued

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington Mount Pleasant Junior Teesside Junior Football Alliance Branksome Comp Cockerton West Rangers F.C U12s Darlington Mount Pleasant Junior Teesside Junior Football Alliance Branksome Comp Cockerton West Rangers F.C U13s Darlington Mount Pleasant Junior Teesside Junior Football Alliance Branksome Comp Cockerton West Rangers F.C U14s Darlington Railway Athletics Junior Teesside Junior Football Alliance Branksome Comp Cockerton West F.C Juniors U15s Heighington Boys F.C U11s Junior Teesside Junior Football Alliance Rear of Cumby Heighington Arms Playing Pitch Darlington 21st All Stars Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Railway Athletic Cockerton East F.C U8s Darlington 21st All Stars F.C Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Railway Athletic Cockerton East U9s Colts Darlington 21st All Stars F.C Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Railway Athletic Cockerton East U9s Darlington 21st All Stars F.C Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Railway Athletic Cockerton East U10s Darlington Mount Pleasant Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Mount Pleasant Cockerton West Rangers F.C U7s Darlington Mount Pleasant Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Mount Pleasant Cockerton West Rangers F.C U8s Darlington Mount Pleasant Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Mount Pleasant Cockerton West Rangers F.C U9s Darlington Mount Pleasant Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Mount Pleasant Cockerton West Rangers F.C U10s Heighington Boys F.C U9s Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Heighington C of E Heighington Heighington Boys F.C U10s Mini Teesside Junior Football Alliance Heighington C of E Heighington

Table 3 : TGRS for football in area 1

Senior Junior Mini

Total Population = 8193 Total Population = 1450 Total Population = 979 Number of teams = 9 Number of teams = 6 Number of teams = 10 TGR = 1:910 TGR = 1:242 TGR = 1:98

4. Table 4 identifies the location of all sites hosting football pitches within the area, and analyses the balance of demand against the pitch’s carrying capacity as equated in Appendix E. The table was developed using the Sport guidance and local knowledge to provide a realistic analysis of the provision and usage.

Area 1: Summary of Findings - Football

5. There are 6 seniors, 5 juniors and 1 mini pitch in the area 1. There are 3 junior pitches (at Primary School, Alderman Leach Primary School and Holy Family C of E School) that are inaccessible. Overall, the area has a good provision of pitches supplied by schools, parish councils and private clubs.

2 6. There is one dedicated and permanently marked mini football pitch in this area. However, mini football games are generally played on senior pitches, with the playing areas re-lined with cones and portable goals. The general practice is that where a site hosts several mini football teams, games will be played in sequence using the same pitch. In this way, one senior football pitch could accommodate four mini football games per hourly play.

7. Best practice suggests providing a dedicated mini football pitch for the sole use of young teams to alleviate pressure on senior pitches. This is particularly relevant in this study area, as all mini games are being held at Darlington Railway Athletic and this pitch is currently showing over use.

8. The total of pitch capacity versus usage for all accessible pitches (categories A and B) in area 1 highlights the following:

• Overuse of 4.25 hours on senior pitches per week • Overuse of 1.5 hours on junior pitches per week • Under use of 2 hours on mini pitches per week

9. To provide a “realistic” figure of accessible pitches to all teams in the study category A3 pitches are deducted to give the following:

• Overuse of 3.5 hours on senior per week • Overuse of 1.5 hour on junior pitches per week • Under use of 2 hours on mini pitches per week

3 Table 4 : Summary of Football Demand and Carrying Capacity per pitch in Area 1 Site Information Supply Demand Assessment

Site Name Ward Access Pitches Carrying Community Community School Total Assessment of Capacity Home Games Home Equivalents (hrs) Surplus (+) or (hours per Games per Usage shortfall (-) pitch) week (hours) Alderman Leach Primary Faverdale C 1 junior N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Branksome School Cockerton B 3 senior 2 (total 6) 4 (senior) 2 (senior) 7.5 13 -7 hours West 5 (junior) 2.5 (junior) Cockerton C of E Primary Cockerton B 1 mini 4 (total 4) 0 0 2 2 2 hours West Heighington C of E Heighington B 1 junior 3 (total 3) 2 (mini) 1 (mini) 3 3.5 - 0.5 hour High Coniscliffe C of E Heighington C 1 junior 3 (Total 3) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Holy Family Primary School Cockerton C 1 junior 3 (total 3) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A West Mount Pleasant Primary Cockerton B 1 junior 3 (total 3) 4 (mini) 2 (mini) 3 4 -1 hour West Railway Athletic Club Cockerton A3 1 senior 4 (total 4) 4 (mini) 2 (mini) 0 4.75 -0.75 hour East 5 (senior) 2.5 (senior) Rear of Cumby Arms, Hall Lane Heighington A1 2 senior 2 (total 4) 1 (junior) 0.5 (junior) 0 0.5 +3.5 hours

10. There is a high level of over use at Branksome School, which will contribute towards deteriorating pitch quality in the future if steps are not taken to alleviate the high demand. As there is considerable under use expressed at the pitches at Cumby Arms, these could be used to encourage community use.

11. There are four mini teams playing on the senior pitch at Darlington Railway Athletic and three mini and two junior teams playing on the senior pitches at Branksome. It is suggested that this is contributing to the high level of over use of senior pitches at these sites. There are suitable pitches available for use at other locations, which could accommodate the mini and junior games, thus reducing the high demand at these sites.

12. The three pitches at Mount Pleasant Primary and Heighington C of E are indicating slight over use, however it is considered that with a good maintenance programme quality issues should decrease over a period of time.

Key Issues

• There are several junior and mini teams using senior pitches, which is contributing towards over use.

• A number of pitches are exhibiting over usage and may not have an adequate maintenance regime to withstand demand.

• Banksome Comprehensive has a high level of over use

Rugby

13. There are no rugby facilities and no rugby demand generated in this area.Cricket

14. Table 5 identifies the cricket clubs and teams known to play within the study area.

Table 5 : Cricket Teams within Ward Area 1

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington RA Cricket Club Senior Darlington Building Society Darlington RA Cockerton East 1st XI NYSD Division 1 Darlington RA Cricket Club Senior North Yorkshire and South Darlington RA Cockerton East 2nd XI Durham League Darlington RA Cricket Club Senior North Yorkshire and South Darlington RA Cockerton East 3rd XI Durham League Darlington RA U13 Junior North Yorkshire Area Railway Athletics Cockerton East Cricket Council Darlington RA U11 Junior North Yorkshire Area Railway Athletics Cockerton East Cricket Council Cockerton Cricket Club 1st Senior Darlington and District Cockerton Cricket Cockerton West XI Cricket League Division A Club Cockerton Cricket Club 2nd Senior Darlington and District Cockerton Cricket Cockerton West XI Cricket League Division C Club

5 Table 5 continued

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Heighington Cricket Club Senior Darlington and District Heighington Cricket Heighington 1st XI Cricket League Division A Club Heighington Cricket Club Senior Darlington and District Heighington Cricket Heighington 2nd XI Cricket League Division B Club Heighington Cricket Club Junior Darlington and District Heighington Cricket Heighington U13 Junior Cricket League Club

15. Table 6 identifies the location and accessibility of cricket pitches in the study area.

Table 6 : Cricket sites within Area 1

Pitch Site Ward Accessibility

Darlington RA Cockerton East A3 Cockerton Cricket Club Cockerton West A3 Heighington Cricket Club Heighington A3

16. Table 7 identifies the number of people within the area who would be needed to generate one cricket team. This equation is based on the number of teams currently playing in the study area, as shown above.

Table 7 : TGRs for Cricket in Area 1

Senior Junior

Total Population = 10377 Total Population = 1702 Number of teams = 7 Number of teams = 3 TGR = 1:1482 TGR = 1:567

Area 1: Summary of Findings - Cricket

17. The study area has three cricket pitches all of which were rated “excellent” in the pitch assessment. The ancillary facilities provided by the clubs vary in quality with ‘average’ facilities at Darlington RA and Heighington and ‘poor’ facilities at Cockerton.

18. Darlington Railway Athletic is the largest club in the borough in terms of member subscriptions, with a total 700 members (30 juniors). The pitch is excellent and has an excellent maintenance regime with a regular grounds man. The pitch is used for home games and training (equating to roughly four hours per week). The club hires the indoor cricket facilities at Comprehensive and Longfield Schools for indoor training.

19. Darlington RA Cricket Club has suggested that it has experienced issues affecting the club’s development including the lack of internal funding, the lack of external funding and the lack of voluntary assistance.

6 20. Cockerton Cricket Club has over 70 members, including 8 non-playing or social female crickets and only 5 junior members, who are unable to form a formal team. The pitch is used for home games and training (equating to roughly 2.5 hours per week). The club hires the indoor cricket facilities at Haughton School for indoor cricket training.

21. The main concerns expressed by Cockerton Cricket Club are the lack of external funding and the lack of volunteers. The club raised concerns regarding security as the fencing surrounding the pitch has collapsed in areas. This proves to be a great issue especially during the summer months when levels of informal play increase. While it is a positive trend to see residents playing cricket, it is problematic as it is worsening the condition of the pitch.

22. Heighington Cricket Club uses the land to the front of the Cumby Arms Public House. The club relies on a small portacabin as a changing facility, with other facilities available in the Cumby Arms adjacent to the cricket pitch. The pub owns the land and allows the cricket club to play here in return for them looking after the green.

23. Similarly, Heighington Cricket Club has also identified that they are experiencing issues concerning the lack of volunteers and the lack of external funding. At present the cricket club pays £500 a season to a private groundsman to maintain the pitch.

24. There are a number of social cricket teams who play in the borough, all of which use the playing facilities at local clubs due to the lack of other suitable facilities. Findings suggest that the teams play Monday to Friday and the occasional Sunday during the season from May to August, which equates to a minimum of 80 games per year (ten games per cricket club). It has been suggested that these additional teams place a huge strain on the local clubs, whose grounds (with the exception of Darlington Cricket Club) are maintained by volunteer groundsman and / or club members.

25. It is suggested the cricket clubs in the Borough will not be able to cope with the demand for facilities in future years owing to the increased number of work and social teams, senior and junior cup league fixtures, the league games and all coaching / training sessions.

26. During consultation all clubs raised a key point that there has been significant growth in cricket as a sport in recent years. The Durham Cricket Forum are currently overseeing a programme of coaching within schools, the aim of which is to increase the number of young people playing cricket out of school hours. As these cricket clubs are nearing capacity there are concerns regarding where this increased demand can be met. As a result it is estimated that within the next two years, Darlington will require extra cricket facilities.

Key Issues:

• The generic concerns for all cricket clubs in this area are:  A lack of funding;  The lack of volunteers; and  No capacity for growth to accommodate additional teams.

7

• Cockerton Cricket Club experience security issues, as they don’t have secure fencing leading to unauthorised play.

• Heighington Cricket Club have limited ancillary facilities and have to meet high costs in order to maintain the pitch.

Hockey

27. There are no hockey clubs in this study area.

AREA 2:- Central, Northgate, , North Road.

28. Table 8 identifies the total number of available pitches for all sports in the study area.

Table 8 : Pitch Accessibility within Area 2

Pitches per ward Senior Junior Mini Senior Junior Cricket Hockey football football football rugby rugby Ward A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C Central 1 North Road 1 2 Harrowgate Hill 3 1 2 2 2 Total 1 3 0 0 2 4 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Football Clubs and Teams

29. Table 9 identifies football clubs and teams are known to play within the study area.

Table 9 : Football Teams Playing in Area 2

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington DSRM Social Senior Northern Echo Sunday Longfield Harrogate Hill Club Ltd F.C Invitation League Darlington Nestfield F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday North Park North Road Invitation League Darlington Spraire F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Gurney Pease Central Invitation League Darlington 21st All Stars Junior Teesside Junior Football Longfield Comp Harrowgate Hill F.C U13s Alliance Darlington 21st All Stars Junior Teesside Junior Football Longfield Comp Harrogate Hill F.C U14s Colts Alliance

Darlington 21st All Stars Junior Teesside Junior Football Longfield Comp Harrogate Hill F.C U14s Alliance Darlington 21st All Stars Junior Teesside Junior Football Longfield Comp Harrogate Hill F.C U16s Alliance

8 Table 9 continued

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington 21st All Stars Junior Teesside Junior Football Longfield Comp Harrogate Hill F.C U17s Alliance Darlington Spraire Lads F.C Junior Teesside Junior Football Gurney Pease Central U13s Alliance School Darlington Spraire Lads F.C Junior Teesside Junior Football Gurney Pease Central U12s Alliance School

30. Table 10 identifies the number of people within the area who would be needed to generate one football team. This equation is based on the number of teams currently playing in the study area, as shown above.

Table 10: TGRS for football in area two

Senior Junior

Total Population = 8917 Total Population = 1602 Number of teams = 3 Number of teams = 7 TGR = 1:2972 TGR = 1:229

31. Table 11 identifies the location of all sites hosting football pitches within the area, and analyses the balance of demand against the pitch’s carrying capacity as equated in appendix E. The table was developed using the Sport England guidance and local knowledge to provide a realistic analysis of the provision and usage.

Area 2: Summary of Findings - Football

32. In this study area there are 4 senior pitches, 6 junior pitches and 2 mini football pitches. There are 4 inaccessible junior pitches at schools. Accessible provision for football pitches is restricted to 3 sites, one of which is a Council pitch located at North Park and 2 at School sites.

9

Table 12 : Summary of Football Demand and Carrying Capacity Per Pitch in Area 2

Site Information Supply Demand Assessment

Site Name Ward Access Pitches Carrying Community Community Home School Total Assessment of Capacity Home Games per week Equivalents (hrs) Surplus (+) or (hours per Games Usage shortfall (-) pitch) (hours) School Harrowgate C 2 junior 2 (total 6) 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A Hill Gurney Pease Primary Central B 1 junior 3 1 senior 0.5 (senior) 2 3.75 -0.75 2 juniors 1 (junior)

Harrowgate Hill Junior North Road C 1 junior 3 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A

Longfield Comp. Harrowgate B 2 mini 4 (total 8) 1 senior 0.5 (senior) 6.8 1 10.3 +6.7 Hill 1 junior 3 5 Junior 2.5 (junior) 3 senior 2 (total 6) (total 17) North Park North Road A1 1 senior 1 1 senior 0.5 N/A 0.5 +0.25

North Road Primary North Road C 1 junior 3 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A

1 Appendix D equates that there is a total 9 hours of school team equivalent demand. However as this is divided equally between the three senior, one junior and two mini football pitches shown here and the two senior rugby pitch shown in the rugby section below, the demand has been recalculated.

10 33. It was identified that North Park holds home games for a league team. This has the potential of being problematic as:

• There is no booking procedure • It’s primary use is as public open space, which means that quality can not be assured • It is not secure • There are no changing facilities and parking is very poor

34. The findings show that current play on the pitch at Gurney Pease Primary is over capacity. With an adequate maintenance programme however, it is suggested that the pitch would be able to cope with this level of play over time.

35. The total of pitch capacity versus usage for all accessible pitches (categories A and B) in Ward two highlights the following:

• Under use of 3.25 hours on senior pitches per week • Under use of 0.35 hours on junior pitches per week • Under use of 2.2 hours on mini pitches per week

36. There is no category A3 pitches in this study area.

37. The junior pitches have no more capacity to absorb games in this study area. Mini pitches have the capacity to hold an additional four games per week.

38. Longfield Comprehensive is satisfying the demand for and supply of games at the site. Due to extra capacity identified at this site in Table 13, it may be possible if talks are undertaken with the school, to transfer Darlington Nestfield F.C from North Park to Longfield Comprehensive.

Key Issues

• A park site is being used as a home pitch for one league team.

• The findings suggest that Gurney Pease School pitch is being over used.

Rugby

39. There are 2 rugby pitches at Longfield School that are not used by community teams, as shown in Table 31.

40. There are no TGRs in the study areas as there are no teams playing.

11 Table 13 : Summary of Football Demand and Carrying Capacity Per Pitch in Area 2

Site Information Supply Demand Assessment

Site Ward Access Pitches Carrying Community Community School Total Assessment Name Capacity Home Home Equivalents (hrs) of Surplus (hours Games Games per Usage (+) or per week (hours) shortfall (-) pitch) Longfield Har rowgate B 2 x 4 0 0 2.2 2.2 +1.8 Comp. Hill senior rugby

Cricket

41. There are no cricket clubs in this study area.

Hockey

42. There are no hockey clubs in this study area

AREA 3: - College, Hummersknott, Hurworth, Mowden, Park East and West.

43. Table 14 below identifies the total number of available pitches for all sports in the study area.

Table 14: Pitch Accessibility within Area 3

Pitches per ward Senior Junior Mini Senior Junior Cricket Hockey football football football rugby rugby Ward A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C College 1 Hummersknott 1 3 1 1 1 1 Mowden 1 2 Park East 2 2 1 1 Park West 1 4 Hurworth 1 2 1 1 1 Total 5 5 1 3 0 3 1 0 1 6 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

12 Football

44. Table 15 identifies those football clubs and teams known to play within the study area.

Table 15 : Football Teams in Area 3

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington Blackwell Meadows Senior Northern Echo Sunday Darlington Rugby Park West Ladies Invitation League Club Darlington East End W.M.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Croft W.M.C Hurworth (Sunday) F.C Invitation League Darlington East End W.M.C F.C Senior Darlington & District Croft W.M.C Hurworth VJC League Darlington Grammar School Old Senior Darlington & District Hummerknott Hummersknott Boys Reserves F.C VJC League Comp Darlington Hurworth Emerson Senior Darlington & District Hurworth Grange Hurworth Arm VJC League Community Centre Darlington Rugby Club F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Darlington R.C Park West Invitation League Darlington St Augustines Dads Senior Northern Echo Sunday Carmel Hummersknott F.C Invitation League Darlington Turks Head F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Carmel Hummersknott Invitation League Hurworth Albion Senior Northern Echo Sunday Hurworth Grange Hurworth Invitation League Community Centre Darlington Spraire Lads & Lasses Mini Cleveland Minor Hurworth House Hurworth F.C U7s League Darlington Spraire Lads & Lasses Mini Cleveland Minor Hurworth House Hurworth F.C U8s League Darlington Spraire Lads & Lasses Mini Cleveland Minor Hurworth House Hurworth F.C U9s League Darlington Spraire Lads & Lasses Mini Cleveland Minor Hurworth House Hurworth F.C U10s League Darlington Spraire Lads F.C U11s Junior Teesside & District South Park Park East Junior League Darlington Spraire Lads F.C U14s Junior Teesside Junior South Park Park East Football Alliance Darlington Spraire Lads F.C U15s Junior Teesside Junior South Park Park East Football Alliance Darlington Spraire Lads F.C U16s Junior Teesside Junior South Park Park East ‘A’ Football Alliance Darlington Spraire Lads F.C U16s Junior Teesside Junior South Park Park East ‘B’ Football Alliance Darlington Spraire Lads F.C U17s Junior Teesside Junior Hummersknott Hummersknott Football Alliance Comprehensive Darlington Spraire Lads F.C U18s Junior Teesside Junior Hummersknott Hummersknott Football Alliance Comprehensive

45. Table 16 identifies the number of people within the area who would be needed to generate one football team. This equation is based on the number of teams currently playing in the study area, as shown above.

Table 16 : TGRS for Football in Area 3

13 Senior Junior Mini

Total Population = 8017 Total Population = 1650 Total Population = 1115 Number of teams = 9 Number of teams = 7 Number of teams = 4 TGR = 1:891 TGR = 1:236 TGR = 1:279

46. Table 17 identifies the location of all sites hosting football pitches within the area, and analyses the balance of demand against the pitch’s carrying capacity as equated in appendix E. The table was developed using the Sport England guidance and local knowledge to provide a realistic analysis of the provision and usage.

Area 3: Summary of Findings - Football

47. There are 11 senior, 6 junior and 2 mini pitches in the study area. The only inaccessible pitches are 3 junior pitches in primary schools. The provision of the accessible sites is split between council, private and educational provision.

48. The total pitch capacity versus usage for all accessible pitches (categories A and B) in Area 3 highlights the following:

• Over use of 1.25 hours on senior pitches per week • Over use of 0.3 hours for junior pitches per week • Under use of 0.4 hours for mini pitches per week

49. To provide a realistic figure of accessible pitches to all teams in the study category A3 was removed for the equation and this highlights the following:

• Over use of 3.75 hours on senior pitches per week • Over use of 0.3 hours on junior pitches per week • Under use of 0.4 hours on mini pitches per week

Overall, the findings suggest:

• Hurworth House displays 3.5 hours overuse per week when compared to carrying capacity. This private boys school has a good maintenance regime for the pitch and recently has installed new changing facilities. During consultation, they suggested that they might reassess the availability of the pitch to community teams in the future.

• Carmel Technology Centre displays 2.25 hours of pitch overuse. This site holds three pitches and therefore the overuse is spread equally across all three. The school has the capacity to rest one pitch if the quality is showing visible signs suffering from overuse. Over time with the correct maintenance regime the pitches here should be able to cope with this level of demand.

• displays overuse by one hour. Again, it is suggested that over time with the correct maintenance regime the pitch here should be able to cope with this level of demand.

14 Table 18 : Summary of Football Demand and Carrying Capacity Per Pitch in Area 3 Site Information Supply Demand

Site Name Ward Pitches Access Carrying Capacity Community Community Home School Equivalent Total Assessment of Surplus (hours per pitch) Home Games Games per week Usage (hrs) (hrs) (+) or shortfall (-) Abbey Infants and College 1 junior C 3 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A Juniors Carmel Technology Hummersknott 3 senior B 2 (total 6) 2 senior 1 6.75 8.25 -2.25 hours College

Croft WMC Sports Hurworth 1 senior B 2 2 (senior) 1 (senior) N/A 1.5 +0.5 Ground Darlington Rugby Park West 1 senior A3 4 2 1 N/A 1.5 +2.5 Club Hummersknott Hummersknott 1 senior A2 2 2 junior 1 junior 6 7.75 +1.25 Comprehensive 1 junior 3 1 senior 0.5 senior 1 mini 4 (total 9) Hurworth Hurworth 1 senior C 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Comprehensive Hurworth Grange Hurworth 1 senior A1 2 2 senior 1 senior N/A 1.5 +0.5

Hurworth House Hurworth 1 senior B 2 4 mini 2 4.5 5.5 -3. 5 School Hurworth Primary Hurworth 1 junior C 3 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A

Mowden Infants and Mowden 1 mini C 4 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Junior QE 6th Form (Abbey College 3 senior A2 2 (total 6) The pitch is currently being re seeded. It is anticipated that the pitch will have a high demand Rd) after completion during 2006. Skerne Park Primary Park East 1 junior A2 3 0 0 4 4 -1.0 St Augustine’s Park East 1 junior C 3 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A South Park Park East 2 senior A1 1 (total 2) 5 juniors 2.5 N/A 2.5 +1.0 1 junior 1.5

15 50. The Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College (QE6) pitches have recently been reseeded and are currently not accommodating community games. These pitches will shortly be available for public use with an on-site pavilion. It is envisaged that when these pitches are available they will alleviate pressure from other schools in the area that are currently over capacity.

51. South Park appears to be showing a surplus when comparing current play to its carrying capacity, however this pitch forms part of a public park and hosts events for part of the year. This makes it difficult to maintain pitch quality and ensure it remains litter free for league games played by Spraire Lads and Lasses teams. Often there are a number of game cancellations due to poor pitch quality following community events.

52. The quality of the pitches is also quite poor. Under inspection the line markings were barely visible and the pitches are all very uneven.

53. Following the loss of Cleveland Bridge football site in Park West there are current arrangements in place for Wimpy Housing Association to provide adequate football facilities elsewhere within the vicinity. South Park has been chosen as a suitable location and there are plans to re –seed five senior pitches and develop a changing pavilion within the grounds. Completion for this is projected for the start of the 2007/8 season.

54. Hummersknott and Skerne Park schools are part of an Extended Schools pilot. Eventually all schools will be expected to open up some of their facilities to the community both beyond the traditional school day and at weekends. Although not all schools’ sports facilities can be guaranteed for community use during peak time, it has been acknowledged that this is a positive move for Darlington, which will increase sports provision.

55. Hurworth Grange has one senior pitch that is available for hire by the community. Although the pitch has no secured access, the pitch is generally in good condition. There are two local senior teams that use the pitch on a weekly basis. With adequate maintenance it may be possible for another senior team or junior / mini teams to use the pitch.

56. Darlington Rugby Club provides one privately owned football pitch, however this is only available for select football teams and will not be capable of absorbing any growth in community teams.

Key Issues

• Most of the schools display an over usage of pitches which will impact upon pitch quality.

• South Park’s main function is as a show field, however it also hosts home pitches for Spraires Lads. There are concerns about pitch quality and availability following big events, for example the firework show in November.

• Darlington Rugby Club has selected availability of pitch provision for community use.

16

6.2 Rugby

57. Table 19 identifies those rugby clubs and teams known to play within the study area.

Table 19 : Rugby Teams Playing in Area 3

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Mowden Park 1st XV Senior National 3 North MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park 2nd XV Senior Northern 2nds League MPRC Mowden Mowden Park 3rd XV Senior N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park Veterans Senior N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park Colts Senior Northern Cross Border MPRC Mowden Darlington Rugby Club 1st Senior National Division 3 Darlington Rugby Park West XI North Club Darlington Rugby Club 2nd Senior National Division 3 Darlington Rugby Park West XI North Club Darlington Rugby Club 3rd Senior National Division 3 Darlington Rugby Park West XI North Club Darlington Rugby Club 4th Senior National Division 3 Darlington Rugby Park West XI North Club Darlington Rugby Club Senior Durham F/L North DRC Park West Colts U18s Yorkshire U18s Mowden Park U17s Boys Junior N/A MPRC Mowden Mowden Park U17s Girls Junior N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park U16s Boys Junior N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park U15s Boys Junior N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park U14s Boys Junior N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park U14s Girls Junior N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park U13s Boys Junior N/A MPRC Mowden

Darlington Rugby Club Junior Durham F/L North DRC Park West Colts U17s Yorkshire U18s Darlington Rugby Club Junior N/A DRC Park West U16s Boys Darlington Rugby Club Junior N/A DRC Park West U15s Boys Darlington Rugby Club Junior N/A DRC Park West U14s Boys Darlington Rugby Club Junior N/A DRC Park West U13s Boys Mowden Park U12s Mixed Mini N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park U11s Mixed Mini N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park U10s Mixed Mini N/A MPRC Mowden

17

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Mowden Park U9s Mixed Mini N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park U8s Mixed Mini N/A MPRC Mowden

Mowden Park U7s Mixed Mini N/A MPRC Mowden

Darlington Rugby Club Mini N/A DRC Park West U12s Mixed Darlington Rugby Club Mini N/A DRC Park West U11s Mixed Darlington Rugby Club Mini N/A DRC Park West U10s Mixed Darlington Rugby Club U9s Mini N/A DRC Park West Mixed Darlington Rugby Club U8s Mini N/A DRC Park West Mixed Darlington Rugby Club U7s Mini N/A DRC Park West Mixed

58. Table 20 identifies the number of people within the area who would be needed to generate 1 rugby team. This equation is based on the number of teams currently playing in the study area, as shown above.

Table 20 : Rugby Team Generation Table for Area 3

Senior Junior Mini

Total Population = 7483 Total Population = 1394 Total Population = 1405 Number of teams = 10 Number of teams = 12 Number of teams = 12 TGR = 1:748 TGR = 1:116 TGR = 1:117

59. Table 21 identifies the location of all sites hosting rugby pitches within the area, and analyses the balance of demand against the pitch’s carrying capacity as established in Appendix E.

Area 3: Summary of Findings - Rugby

60. There are a total of 1 junior and 7 senior rugby pitches in this study area. The 2 privately owned rugby clubs have excellent pitches and facilities.

61. The senior pitch on Abbey Road is owned by the Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College has been re-seeded and will be available in spring 2006. The 4 education sites are not used for community rugby games as teams have dedicated private facilities at Darlington Rugby Club (DRC) and Mowden Park Rugby Club (MPRC).

62. DRC has over 400 members including 30 female players, over 20 veterans and 200 social or non-playing members. The club has 4senior rugby pitches and 1football pitch. Through consultation DRC discussed the greatest issues was the lack of external funding and membership recruitment and retention.

18 Table 21 : Summary of Rugby Demand and Carrying Capacity per pitch in Area 3

Site Information Supply Demand

Site Name Ward Access Pitches Carrying Community Community School Total Assessment Capacity (hours Home Home Equivalents (hrs) of Surplus per pitch) Games Games per Usage (+) or week (hours) shortfall (-) Darlington Rugby Club Park West A3 4 senior 4 (total 16 hrs) 5 senior 2.5 N/A 6 10 4 junior 2.0 7 mini 7.0 Carmel Technology Hummersknott B 1 senior 2 hrs 0 0 2.25 2.25 - 0.25 College

Hummersknott Hummersknott A2 1 junior 3 hrs 0 0 2 2 +1 hr Comprehensive

Mowden Rugby Club Mowden A3 2 senior 4 (total 8 hrs) 5 senior 2.5 N/A 8.25 -0.25 6 Junior 3.5 6 mini 6 QE 6th Form (Abbey College A1 1 senior 2 hrs The pitch is currently being re seeded. It is anticipated that the pitch will have a Rd) high demand after completion during 2006.

19 63. MPRC has over 450 players, including over 250 juniors. The girl’s team is one of the leading in the North East and has produced 2 England rugby players. Due to the provision of only 2 pitches at the club, good relations have been established with Hummersknott School and Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College. MPRC shares pitches, facilities, coaching and expertise with the educational establishments

64. There are 6 senior rugby pitches across 2 private rugby clubs, providing the total home pitches available for all teams. These pitches hold training sessions throughout the week for all teams. One pitch at each club must be maintained at a high quality in order for first team play, which especially poses problems at MPRC where the bulk of training and league games must therefore occur on one pitch. MPRC is also exhibiting an overuse of 0.25 hours per week, mainly on the one pitch not reserved for first team play. This does not incorporate the training that occurs here.

65. Flood lighting has also been a problem at MPRC as the club is located in a residential area and can only cover ½ a pitch for training during the darker evenings. The club is soon to relocate to West Park, selling the land of their current site to a housing developer. The new site shall provide a total of 3 senior pitches, a third generation turf area and dedicated spare grass area to accommodate training.

66. While Darlington Rugby Club indicates a large surplus in capacity for the 4 pitches the data does not account for all the training that takes place.

67. The total of pitch capacity versus usage for all accessible pitches (categories A and B) in Area 3 highlights the following:

• Under use of 9.5 hrs on senior pitches per week • Under use of 1 hr on junior pitches per week

68. Rugby rely on the pitches at the private clubs; these pitches are classed as Category A3 pitches which means that are not available for general community use without being a member of the club. As the only rugby play that occurs in Darlington is on A3 pitches it is important to focus mostly on these pitches, and to ensure that large periods of over use is not occurring. Therefore if we look at category A3 pitches only there is:

• Under use of 9.25 hrs on senior pitches • No junior / mini pitches are available

Key Issues

• There is marginal over use exhibited at MPRC however this will be rectified with the move to West Park.

20 Cricket

69. Table 22 identifies the cricket clubs and teams known to play within the study area.

Table 22 : Cricket Teams and their Home Venues in Area 3

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington Cricket Club Senior North Yorkshire and South Darlington Cricket Park East First X1 Durham Premier Division Club Darlington Cricket Club Senior North Yorkshire and South Darlington Cricket Park East 2nd X1 Durham Division One Club Darlington Cricket Club Senior North Yorkshire and South Darlington Cricket Park East Third X1 Durham Sunday Division Club Darlington Cricket Club Junior North Yorkshire South Darlington Cricket Park East under 17 Durham Junior Cricket Club League Darlington Cricket Club Junior North Yorkshire Area Darlington Cricket Park East under 15 Cricket Council Club Darlington Cricket Club Junior Darlington and District Darlington Cricket Park East under 15 2nd XI Junior League Club Darlington Cricket Club Junior North Yorkshire Area Darlington Cricket Park East under 13 Cricket Council Club Darlington Cricket Club Junior Darlington and District Darlington Cricket Park East under 13 2nd XI Junior League Club Darlington Cricket Club Junior North Yorkshire Area Darlington Cricket Park East under 11 Cricket Council Club Rockcliffe Park Cricket Senior Darlington and District Rockcliffe Park Hurworth Club First XI Cricket League Division A Cricket Club Rockcliffe Park Cricket Senior Darlington and District Rockcliffe Park Hurworth Club Second XI Cricket League Division B Cricket Club Rockcliffe Park Cricket Junior Darlington and Rockcliffe Park Hurworth Club U13 District Junior League Cricket Club

70. Table 23 identifies available cricket pitches and accessibility in the study area.

Table 23 : Cricket Sites within Area 3

Pitch Site Ward Accessibilit y Darlington Cricket Club Park East A3 Rockcliffe Park Hurworth A3

Area 3: Summary of Findings - Cricket

71. There are 2 cricket pitches within the study area, both rated as ‘excellent’. Darlington Cricket Club provides the best cricket facilities within the borough. The cricket site has a full time groundsman who lives on site and is able to maintain the cricket field to a high standard of quality. The site has a large field that can accommodate 19 different wickets within its dimensions. The field is used for home training (accounting for roughly 14 hours of play per week) and home games, and the club also hire the indoor cricket facilities at Carmel Technology College for indoor training.

21 72. Darlington Cricket Club is the second largest cricket club within the Borough in terms of member subscriptions with a total 400 male members currently playing at the club. There are over 100 junior members and 100 veteran (over 40) players.

73. Consultation with Darlington Cricket Club identified that the key ongoing issues are the lack of external funding and the lack of voluntary assistance.

74. Rockcliffe Park provides an excellent rated cricket pitch and has the second largest field in the borough, capable of holding fifteen individual wickets. There is a grounds man who regularly attends to the pitch during the season. The site is used for training and home games, and the club also hires the indoor cricket facilities at Hurworth Comprehensive for indoor training.

75. The club has a total 70 players, of which 15 are social or non-playing members and 25 are juniors.

76. During consultation with Rockcliffe Cricket Club, they expressed ongoing issues of lack of external funding and voluntary assistance. There have also been problems with recruiting younger members, particularly due to the popularity of Darlington Cricket Club.

77. There are a number of social cricket teams playing within the borough, all of which use the playing facilities at local clubs due to the lack of council facilities. Teams play Monday to Friday and the occasional Sunday during the season (May to August). This equates to a minimum of 80 additional games per year (ten games per cricket club). It has been suggested that the additional games places a strain on the local clubs, whose grounds (with the exception of Darlington Cricket Club) are maintained by volunteer groundsman / club members.

78. The clubs confirmed that in recent years there have been an increase in work / social teams, the senior and junior cup league fixtures, the league games. This has greatly impacted on increased level of coaching / training sessions required to complete in games. It is concluded that with the current provision, clubs are not able to meet demand for increased facilities in the near future.

Key Issues

• There is a lack of external funding opportunities

• There is a lack of volunteers

• There are difficulties recruiting younger players

• There is an increase in social teams, which places an additional pressure on existing resources.

Hockey

79. There are no hockey pitches or hockey teams in this study area.

22

AREA 4:- Bank Top, Eastbourne, Lascelles, Lingfield, Middleton St. George

80. Table 24 identifies the total number of available pitches for all sports in the study area.

Table 24 : Pitch Accessibility per Sport in Area 4

Pitches per ward Senior Junior Mini Senior Junior Cricket Hockey football football football rugby rugby Ward A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C Eastbourne 1 1 1 1 Lingfield 12 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Lascelles 1 Middleton St 2 1 1 George Total 15 1 0 2 2 3 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0

Football

81. Table 25 identifies the teams known to play within Area 4.

Table 25 : Football Teams Playing in Area 4

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington Dalesman F.C Senior Darlington & District VJC Hundens Lingfield League Darlington Grammar School Senior Darlington & District VJC Hundens Lingfield Old Boys F.C League Darlington Grey Horse F.C Senior Darlington & District VJC Hundens Lingfield League Darlington Haughton F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Hundens Lingfield Invitation League Darlington Hole in the Wall F.C Senior Darlington & District VJC Hundens Lingfield League Darlington Mitek and Senior Northern Echo Sunday Hunden Lingfield Wheatshead Albion F.C Invitation League Darlington Peppers D.S.R.M Senior Northern Echo Sunday Hundens Lingfield F.C Invitation League Darlington Sherwoods F.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Hundens Lingfield Invitation League Darlington Tanners Hall Senior Northern Echo Sunday Hundens Lingfield (previously the Falchion F.C) Invitation League Killinghall Senior Northern Echo Sunday Durham Tees Middleton St Arms Invitation League Valley Airport George Middleton St George The Senior Northern Echo Sunday Hundens Lane Lingfield Fighting Cocks F.C Invitation League Darlington 21st All Stars F.C Junior Teesside Junior Football Eastbourne Lingfield U11s Alliance School Darlington 21st All Stars F.C Junior Teesside Junior Football Eastbourne Lingfield U12s Colts Alliance School Darlington 21st All Stars F.C Junior Teesside Junior Football Eastbourne Lingfield U12s Alliance School Darlington 21st All Stars F.C Junior Teesside Junior Football Eastbourne Lingfield U13s Colts Alliance School

23 Table 25 continued

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington Albion Boys F.C Junior Richmond & District Teesside Patons Lingfield U12s League Darlington Albion Boys F.C Junior Richmond & District Teesside Patons Lingfield U13s League Darlington Albion Boys F.C Junior Richmond & District Teesside Patons Lingfield U14s League Darlington Albion Boys F.C Junior Richmond & District Teesside Patons Lingfield U15s League Darlington Albion Boys F.C Junior Richmond & District Teesside Patons Lingfield U16s League Darlington Spraire Lasses F.C Junior Tyne Tees Girls League Hundens Lingfield U11s Darlington Spraire Lasses F.C Junior Tyne Tees Girls League Hundens Lingfield U13s Darlington Spraire Lasses F.C Junior Tyne Tees Girls League Hundens Lingfield U14s Darlington Spraire Lasses F.C Junior Tyne Tees Girls League Hundens Lingfield U16s Darlington Middleton Rangers Junior Teesside Junior Football Durham Tees Middleton St. F.C U14s Alliance Valley Airport George Darlington Middleton Rangers Junior Teesside Junior Football Durham Tees Middleton St. F.C U12s Alliance Valley Airport George Darlington Middleton Rangers Junior Teesside Junior Football Durham Tees Middleton St. F.C U11s Alliance Valley Airport George Darlington Middleton Rangers Mini Teesside Junior Football Durham Tees Middleton St. F.C U10s Alliance Valley Airport George Darlington Middleton Rangers Mini Teesside Junior Football Durham Tees Middleton St. F.C U9s Alliance Valley Airport George Darlington Middleton Rangers Mini Teesside Junior Football Durham Tees Middleton St. F.C U8s Alliance Valley Airport George

82. Table 26 identifies the number of people within the area who would be needed to generate one football team. This equation is based on the number of teams currently playing in the study area, as shown above.

Table 26 : TGRS for Football in Area 4

Senior Junior Mini

Total Population = 7572 Total Population = 1557 Total Population = 1026 Number of teams = 11 Number of teams = 16 Number of teams = 3 TGR = 1:688 TGR = 1:97 TGR = 1:342

83. Table 27 identifies the location of all sites hosting football pitches within the area, and analyses the balance of demand against the pitch’s carrying capacity as equated in appendix E. The table was developed using the Sport England guidance and local knowledge to provide a realistic analysis of the provision and usage.

24 Area 4: Summary of Findings - Football

84. There are 16 seniors, 8juniors and 3 mini pitches in the study area, of which there are 3 juniors and 1 mini pitch at schools that are inaccessible. The Council and Parish Council provide the majority of pitches in this study area.

85. The total of pitch capacity versus usage for all accessible pitches (categories A and B) in Area 4 highlights the following:

• Under use of 6.95 hours on senior pitches per week • Under use of 4.45 hours on junior pitches per week • Under use of 4 hours on mini pitches per week

86. To provide a “realistic” figure of accessible pitches to all teams in the study category A3 was removed for the equation and highlights the following:

• Over use of 0.55 hours on senior pitches per week • Under use of 0.45 hours on junior pitches per week • No mini pitches available

25 Site Information Supply Demand Assessment

Site Name Ward Access Pitches Carrying Community Community School Total Assessment of Capacity (hours Home Home Games Equivalents (hrs) Surplus (+) or per pitch) Games per week Usage (hours) shortfall (-) Dodmire Junior & Lascelles C 1 mini 4 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Infants School

26

Site Information Supply Demand Assessment Site Name Ward Access Pitches Carrying Community Community School Total Assessment of Capacity Home Games Home Games Equivalents (hrs) Surplus (+) or (hours per per week shortfall (-) pitch)

27 Table 27 : Summary of Football Demand and Carrying Capacity per Pitch in Area

Site Information Supply Demand Assessment

Site Name Ward Access Pitches Carrying Community Community School Total Assessment of Capacity (hours Home Home Games Equivalents (hrs) Surplus (+) or per pitch) Games per week Usage (hours) shortfall (-)

Dodmire Junior & Lascelles C 1 mini 4 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Infants School

Eastbourne Lingfield B 1 junior 3 4 juniors 2 4.6 6.6 -1.6 Comprehensive School 1 senior 2 (total 5) Firthmoor Primary Eastbourne B 1 junior 3 N/A N/A 3 3 0 School Heathfield Primary Lingfield C 1 junior 3 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A School Hunden’s Park Lingfield A1 10 senior 3 (total 30) 10 seniors 5 senior 9.5 02 4 juniors 2 junior St George’s Primary Middleton St C 1 junior 3 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A School George Patons Sports Ground 3 Lingfield A3 1 mini 8 5 junior 2.5 junior N/A 2.5 +15.5 1 junior 6 2 senior 4 (total 8) (total 18) Playing Pitch Middleton St A1 1 senior The pitch is currently being re seeded. It is anticipated that the pitch will have a high demand after George completion in summer 2006. St Teresas’ Primary Eastbourne C 1 junior 3 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A School Durham Tees Valley Middleton St A1 1 senior 2 3 juniors 1.5 junior N/A 3 -1 Airport George 1 senior 0.5 senior 3 minis 1.5 mini Tommy Crooks Park Eastbourne A1 1 senior 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A +2.5 1 junior 1.5

28

2 Although the equation resulted in a surplus of 10.5 hours, Hundens Lane pitches are hired out for casual community use every week and remain fully booked throughout the year. 3 Although Patons has a huge surplus, the grounds are privately owned and the land is registered for commercial development. However, Planning Dept advise that this has been the case for a number of years. There are some issue regarding protection of the site as the trees and shrubs are protected and the site is home to wildlife.

29

87. Durham Tees Valley Airport is exhibiting over use by one hour. The findings suggest that this is because games at the location are usually split between the Airport and the pitch at Middleton St George, home of Middleton Rangers. The Middleton St George pitch however is being re-seeded and is currently causing issues for teams trying to source an alternative home pitch. Once the pitch is available for games in 2006/7, it is anticipated that it will alleviate pressure on the Durham Tees Valley Airport pitch.

88. The findings suggest that Eastbourne Comprehensive School pitch is over used by approximately 1.6 hours. There are three pitches at Eastbourne of which one has been converted into a rugby pitch, however at the end of the educational year this shall be converted back to a senior football pitch.

89. The findings suggested that overall Area 4 cannot support any more senior games.

90. As with other areas, the assessments indicated that mini games are being played on a senior pitch at Durham Tees Valley Airport. Best practice would suggested that these games be transferred to dedicated junior / mini pitches to “free up” senior pitches for senior games. Through the Extended School agenda, Middleton St George Primary School could be opened for community use and would present an ideal location to hold the game to alleviate over usage in the area.

91. There are 4 excellent pitches at Paton’s sports ground, where there is also currently an under use in carrying capacity exhibited. The owners believe that the pitches are at capacity as the pitch is a training ground and home pitch for Albion Boys. The pitch is category as A3, therefore usage is limited to selected teams and is not available for wider community use.

92. There are 10 pitches at Hundens Park, which provides the bulk of Council owned pitches in the area. These pitches are fully booked with both league games and casual community usage; therefore the pitches are at carrying capacity. The pitches are regularly maintained with weekly pitch inspections prior to games at weekends. The grounds staff carry out regular pitch marking and soil spiking. Staff at Eastbourne Complex take bookings, fees and cancellations.

93. The findings raise concerns that large numbers of senior pitches are located Hundens Lane. During periods of bad weather and in winter months, there are occasions where all games on the 10 pitches have been cancelled over a matter of weeks. There is an insufficient number of alternative pitches in the borough to accommodate the teams when games are cancelled.

94. Tommy Crookes Park has a senior and junior pitch however it does not have the facilities provided at Hundens Park. Also, as with most Council park pitches, there is no booking procedure. Concern has been raised by residents as the field is surrounded by residential property; as a result this is generally used as an informal kick about. Through consultation it has been found that at times when other pitches can not be used, this site has been used to hold temporary home gains, and also acts as a training venue. Therefore while it is not formally used for home matches, it still represents an important area for community football.

30 95. Future planning developments indicate that of Technology will be relocated to Haughton Road in Lingfield and will provide one senior and one junior football pitch. This represents a net gain of 2 football pitches in this Area 4. It is anticipated that work on this site will be completed for the beginning of the 2006 / 07 and will be available for community use.

Key Issues

• There is over use of the pitch at Durham Tees Valley Airport caused by mini and junior teams using senior pitches. However once the Parish pitch in Middleton St George is reseeded this demand will be alleviated.

• There are concerns over the large percentage of pitches located at Hundens Lane.

• There are a number of schools in the area where pitches could be utilised to alleviate demand Rugby

96. There is one rugby pitch in this area as shown in Table 28, which is not used by any community teams. There are no TGRs for this area as there are no community teams playing here.

Table 28 : Rugby Teams in Area 4

Site Information Supply Demand

Site Name Ward Access Pitches Carrying Commu Community School Total Assessment Capacity nity Home Equivalents (hrs) of Surplus (hours Home Games per Usage (+) or per Games week (hours) shortfall (-) pitch) Eastbourne Lingfield B 1 senior 2 hrs N/A N/A 2.3 2.3 - 0.3 Comp

Cricket

97. Table 29 identifies the cricket clubs and teams are known to play within the study area.

Table 29 : Cricket Teams in Area 4

Team Type League Home Pitch Ward Middleston St George Senior Darlington and Middleton St George Middleton St George Cricket Club 1st XI District Cricket Cricket Club League Division A

31 98. Table 30 identifies the location of the cricket pitches in the study area.

Table 30 : Cricket sites in Ward Area four

Pitch Site Ward Accessibility

Middleton St George Middleton St George A3

99. Table 31 identifies the number of people within the area who would be needed to generate one cricket team. This equation is based on the number of teams currently playing in the study area, as shown above.

Table 31 : TGRs for Senior Cricket Teams in Area 4

Senior

Total Population = 9592 Number of teams = 1 TGR = 1:9592

Area 4: Summary of Findings- Cricket

100. Middleton St George is the smallest cricket club in terms of membership numbers with 35 members, 15 of which are juniors. The club has ‘excellent’ pitch and ‘average’ ancillary facilities. The pitch here is used for training (roughly 4 hours per week) and home games, and the club has historically hired the indoor cricket facilities at the Dolphin Centre for indoor cricket training.

101. Consultation with the club identified concerns regarding the lack of internal and external funding, the lack of appropriate local facilities and problems regarding membership recruitment and retention.

Key Issues

• No dedicated use of indoor cricket facilities.

• Lack of volunteers

• Lack of external funding

• Expressed concern of membership retention

• Expressed concern of membership recruitment

32 Hockey

102. Table 32 identifies the hockey clubs and teams that are known to play within the study area, and the venue of their home games.

Table 32 : Hockey Teams within Area 4

Team Type League Home Pitch Ward

Darlington Mens 1st XI Senior North East Hockey Eastbourne Lingfield League Div. 3 Darlington Juniors Junior North East Hockey Eastbourne Lingfield League Div. 5

103. Table 33 identifies the number of people within the area who would be needed to generate one hockey team. This equation is based on the number of teams currently playing in the study area, as shown above.

Table 33 : TGRs for Hockey Teams in Area 4

Senior Junior

Total Population = 7572 Total Population = 1293 Number of teams = 1 Number of teams = 1 TGR = 1:7572 TGR = 1:1293

Area 4: Summary of Findings- Hockey

104. Through team questionnaires it was discovered that there are 2 other hockey teams that play for the hockey club, 1 female senior and 1 junior team, which currently play home games outside of the Borough. Due to the lack of suitable other venues these two teams currently play all their home games at the Silksworth Complex in Sunderland, demonstrating latent demand.

105. The only suitable hockey venue within the Borough is at Eastbourne Complex where there is an astro-turf pitch. This pitch was marked as ‘excellent’ within the pitch assessment and has excellent ancillary facilities provided on site.

Key Issues

• Concerns regarding the dual use of the hockey pitch at Eastbourne, leading to wear and tear.

• There may be inadequate facilities to support a large growth in demand for hockey.

33

AREA 5:- Haughton East, North and West, , Whessoe.

106. Table 34 identifies the total number of available pitches for all sports in the study area.

Table 34 : Pitch Accessibility within Area 5

Pitches per ward Senior Junior Mini Senior Junior Cricket Hockey football football football rugby rugby Ward A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C A B C Haughton East 1 Haughton West 1 Haughton North Sadberge and 1 1 Whessoe Total 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

Football

107. Table 35 identifies football clubs and teams are known to play within the study area.

Table 35 : Football Teams within Area 5

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Darlington Haughton W.M.C Senior Northern Echo Sunday Unknown owing to Haughton East F.C Invitation League closure of Haughton School pitch Darlington Shuttle & Loom Senior Northern Echo Sunday Unknown owing to Haughton East F.C Saturday Invitation League closure of Haughton School pitch Darlington Shuttle & Loom Senior Northern Echo Sunday Springfield Park Haughton F.C Sunday Invitation League West

108. Table 36 identifies the number of people within the area who would be needed to generate one football team. This equation is based on the number of teams currently playing in the study area, as shown above.

Table 36 : TGRs for Football in Area 5

Senior

Total Population = 7552 Number of teams = 1 TGR = 1:7552

109. Table 37 identifies the location of all sites hosting football pitches within the area, and analyses the balance of demand against the pitch’s carrying capacity as equated in Appendix E.

34 Area 5: Summary of Findings - Football

110. There are 8 junior and 2 senior pitches in this study area. Of these 10 football pitches, 4 junior pitches at St Bede’s, Springfield and Primaries are not available for community use.

111. There is 1 Council pitch provided at Springfield Park and this forms the home pitch for 1 senior team playing in the area. The use of this site for home games is problematic as:

• There is no booking procedure • It is open for public use at any time • It is not secure • There are no changing facilities and parking is very poor

112. The Darlington Shuttle and Loom FC Sunday team that play at Springfield Park currently use the Shuttle and Loom pub toilets opposite the park for changing before and after games where possible. The pitch quality is bordering on average / below average in the pitch assessment due to litter, dog fowling and unevenness of the ground. The pitch is not regularly inspected or maintained, and all of these factors contribute towards suggesting a different pitch should be used for the Shuttle and Loom FC Sunday games.

113. The total of pitch capacity versus usage for all accessible pitches (categories A and B) in Ward Four highlights the following:

• Under use of 0.25 hours on senior pitches • Under use of 3 hours on junior pitches • There are no mini pitches in the study area

114. There are no A3 category pitches in this study area.

115. These findings suggest that this study is only capable of supporting one more junior game per week.

35 Table 37: Summary of Football Demand and Carrying Capacity per Pitch in Area 5

Site Information Supply Demand

Site Name Ward Access Pitches Carrying Community Community School Total Assessment of Capacity Home Games Home Games Equivalents (hrs) Surplus (+) or (hours per per week Usage (hours) shortfall (-) pitch) Bishopton Sadberge & B 1 mini 4 N/A N/A 1 1 +3 Redmarshall C of E Whessoe Haughton Haughton East A2 2 junior 3 / pitch The pitch is currently being re-seeded. It is anticipated that the pitch will be used by Comprehensive 1 senior (total 6) the schools and with provision for community access through the Extended Schools School 4 junior agenda in 2006. 2 seniors Red Hall Primary Haughton East B 1 junior 3 N/A N/A 2 2 +1 School Springfield Park on Haughton West A1 1 senior 1 1 senior 0.5 N/A 0.75 +0.25 Salters Lane Springfield Primary Haughton West C 1 junior 3 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A School St Bede’s Primary Haughton West C 2 junior 3 (total 6) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A School Whinfield Primary Haughton North C 1 junior 3 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A School

36 116. The former Haughton Comprehensive site is currently under major development, which will provide one senior and two junior pitches. This should be completed by mid 2006. It is also anticipated that the site will build an additional one senior, one mini and two junior pitches, however this is a long term development and the anticipated date of completion is not yet known.

117. None of the junior pitches in this ward area are used for junior community home games. All junior pitches are being used within their equated carrying capacity.

Key Issues

• There are a large number of schools in the area that are not open for community use.

• There is a team using Springfield Park as a home pitch. The primary function of this site is as public open space, therefore there are issues of pitch quality, guaranteed accessibility and lack of ancillary facilities.

Rugby

118. There are no rugby facilities in this area and no generated rugby demand.

Cricket

119. Table 38 identifies the cricket clubs and teams are known to play within the study area.

Table 38: Cricket Teams and their Home Venues in Area 5

Team Type League Home pitch Ward

Haughton Cricket Senior Darlington and District Haughton Cricket Haughton Club 1st XI Cricket League Division B Club Haughton Cricket Senior Darlington and District Haughton Cricket Haughton Club 2nd XI Cricket League Division C Club Haughton Cricket Junior Darlington and District Haughton Cricket Haughton Club U15 Junior Cricket League Club

120. Table 39 identifies the pitches available in the study area.

Table 39 : Cricket Pitches in Area 5

Pitch Site Ward Accessibility

Haughton Cricket Club Haughton A3

37 121. Table 40 identifies the number of people needed to generate a team in the study area.

Table 40 : Cricket Sites within Area 5

Senior Junior

Total Population = 7312 Total Population = 1411 Number of teams = 2 Number of teams = 1 TGR = 1:3656 TGR = 1:1411

Area 5: Summary of Findings - Cricket

122. There is 1 cricket site in this area rated as having a good cricket pitch with poor ancillary facilities. The club has just over 80 members, including 40 juniors and over 10 veterans (over 40 years of age).

123. The pitch is fairly large and can accommodate 12 different wickets. The pitch is used for training (3 to 4 hours per week) and home games, and the club hires the indoor cricket facilities at Haughton Comprehensive for indoor cricket.

124. Consultation identified several of the common issues experienced by the other cricket clubs. They confirmed there are issues regarding accessing external funding, a general lack of information provided to the club about local facilities and services, and a lack of voluntary assistance.

Key Issues

• Lack of external funding opportunities

• Communication issues

• Lack of volunteers

• No dedicated in door cricket facility

Hockey

125. There are no hockey facilities in Area 5.

38