Helmsley Town Football Club

I am writing to you today to make an official proposal that I be permitted to have an opportunity to form a new Football Club and run it from Sports Club alongside Duncombe Park Football Club sharing all the facilities including the John Atkinson Memorial Playing Field that I understand cannot be leased at the moment and of course we would expect to pay fair and sustainable Members fees for the facilities being provided so as to keep such facilities open and available for use. I understand the other Clubs currently pay around £500 per year.

I was at the meeting with Mr James Hare and Mr Richard Levin (Engie) in November 2017 so I am aware there is also a responsibility for the maintenance and up keep of the new field going forward and I understand the need to address such issues reasonably with other interested parties regarding meeting the costs for such maintenance especially cutting and removal of grass cuttings.

I had just started my fourth season running Junior training sessions at the sports field on Sunday mornings this year when I was removed from the Club. There is a fundamental need to establish a junior football club at Helmsley not only to provide football to future generations at Helmsley but it gives a base to help keep the senior teams strong which is exactly why the other market towns thrive. It is not by accident these Clubs are where they are.

My aim is to restart these sessions immediately and provide the opportunity for junior teams to be established so as to be able to enter a local junior or minor football league who can play on Saturday and Sundays. I will also add that this includes Girls & Women's football leagues.

Helmsley is a Market Town and has failed to bear comparison with the other Market Towns in and around the area regarding their resident football club for many years though it did provide a couple of minor football teams for a limited time years ago.

Here are examples of market towns in the area:-

Thirsk Falcons,

FA Community Charter Standard Club providing quality coaching/ match play from juniors through to senior level. Fun starts from 3yrs!

Easingwold Town,

Have junior teams from under 6’s to under 19’s, two Saturday teams playing in the League and an Under 15s Girls team.

Malton,

Old Malton who have set the standards in the York Premier League for several years, they have two teams on Saturdays and several junior teams.

Brooklyn with two teams also in the York League and an outstanding junior set up arguably the best with the most age groups they also have the advantage of the use of Malton 3G Sports pitch.

Pickering Town, play at a much higher level than any of the other Clubs but do have several Junior teams playing on Sundays,

Kirkbymoorside,

They have two senior sides on Saturdays with junior teams across a number of the age groups.

Market Towns should be the centre of the local community and regarding football facilities provide a well established football club with two teams playing on Saturdays and several junior teams sharing their facilities. Duncombe Park have had just one Team since approximately 1982. There is clearly scope for another Club at Helmsley and it will offer junior football which will help improve income through subscriptions/members fees, also a team at home every week through the season and more members of the Club and a Junior set up that play on Sundays.

I would like to add it was due entirely due to my foresight back in 2017 in a meeting with Mr James Hare and Mr Richard Levin also attended by Mr Garbutt of Duncombe Park FC that I requested that Engie provided an all-weather area to the north side of the swimming pool. It was kindly agreed but it did not finish there, it was I alone who attended multiple Council / Charity meetings trying to convince people of the outstanding opportunity and the funds were obtained and used to bury the overhead cables. I thought a few times due to the costs involved it would scupper the opportunity but eventually it was agreed to do so.

I also attended a meeting with some of the Councillors and Club members earlier this year with Mr Levin in order to try and future proof it as much as possible and significantly increase the size of the base Engie would provide. Again this was kindly agreed by Mr Levin to what appears could potentially double the original size he agreed.

There can be no disputing this idea came from myself and also to have the foresight to make it as big as possible will hopefully future proof an asset for this town and community for many years. I don’t see too many other Towns locally that compare to Helmsley with their own all- weather area on site. It will be a magnificent addition to the Town and thanks to the people responsible for giving the green light to have those wires buried will hopefully be rewarded for years to come as they have helped provide Helmsley with something many other local Towns will never have.

Personally I can see the opportunity to help move this whole Club forward and especially encourage the younger generations to be involved and help provide them with the facilities and opportunities to play sports and in teams at Helmsley.

It is unfortunate to say the least that some people within Duncombe Park FC decided to have me removed from the Club in September before I was able to help establish a senior reserve team and a junior section that would have utilised the assets already established at the sports field by past generations of Helmsley people. Even so I realise this is about looking forward not back I am prepared to work with and alongside everyone and a new Football Club will significantly improve the chances of Helmsley Sports Clubs thriving and being kept open and available for future generations of Helmsley residents as we move forward.

I will attend the Council / Charity meeting on the 16th December where I am happy to answer any questions or reassure anyone how I see it working. I remain keen to see the Sports Clubs fulfil their potential and I see the forming of an additional Football Club an ideal way of increasing the use of the field and Club House.

Kind regards

Arthur Coote