APPENDIX 2

LUTON BOROUGH COUNCIL

PLAYING PITCH STRATEGY

FINAL ASSESSMENT REPORT

DECEMBER 2013

Integrity, Innovation, Inspiration

1-2 Frecheville Court off Knowsley Street Bury BL9 0UF T 0161 764 7040 F 0161 764 7490 E [email protected] www.kkp.co.uk

Quality assurance Name Date Report origination Claire Waldron October 2013 Quality control Claire Fallon October 2013 Client/NGB comments Final approval

LUTON BOROUGH COUNCIL PLAYING PITCH ASSESSMENT

CONTENTS

PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGIES ...... 4 1.1: Section A: Preparation ...... 5 1.2: Section B: Information gathering ...... 15 1.3: Section C: Assessment ...... 18 1.4: Section D: Key findings and issues ...... 19 PART 2: FOOTBALL ...... 20 2.1: Introduction ...... 20 2.2: Supply ...... 22 2.3: Demand ...... 30 2.4: Capacity analysis ...... 34 2.5: Supply and demand analysis ...... 39 2.6: Conclusions...... 45 PART 3: CRICKET ...... 51 3.1: Introduction ...... 51 3.2: Supply ...... 52 3.3: Demand ...... 58 3.4: Capacity analysis ...... 62 3.5: Supply and demand analysis ...... 64 3.6: Conclusions...... 67 PART 4: RUGBY UNION ...... 68 4.1: Introduction ...... 68 4.2: Supply ...... 68 4.3: Demand ...... 73 4.4: Capacity analysis ...... 74 4.5: Supply and demand analysis ...... 77 4.6: Conclusions...... 78 PART 5: HOCKEY ...... 80 5.1: Introduction ...... 80 5.2: Supply ...... 80 5.3: Demand ...... 82 5.4: Usage ...... 83 5.5: Quality ...... 84 PART 6: BOWLS ...... 88 6.1: Introduction ...... 88 6.2: Supply ...... 88 6.3: Demand ...... 91 6.4: Capacity analysis ...... 92 PART 7: OTHER SPORTS ...... 95 PART 8: EDUCATION ...... 106 APPENDIX 1: CONSULTEE LIST ...... 115 APPENDIX 2: SPORTING CONTEXT ...... 119 APPENDIX 3 – FOOTBALL NON-TECHNICAL SITE ASSESSMENT FORM ...... 125 APPENDIX 4 – CRICKET NON-TECHNICAL SITE ASSESSMENT FORM ...... 126

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PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND METHODOLOGIES

This is the Playing Pitch Assessment Report (incorporating all outdoor sports facilities) prepared by Knight Kavanagh & Page (KKP) for Luton Borough Council (LBC). The document covers the period of population growth to 2021.

The strategy covers all of the outdoor pitch sports as well as non-pitch sports. The full list of sports facilities covered is set out below:

 Football pitches  Cricket pitches  Rugby union pitches  Artificial Grass Pitches (AGPs) including sand based/filled, water based and 3G  Bowling greens  Gaelic football pitches  Golf courses  Netball courts  Tennis courts  Athletics tracks  Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs)

In addition to the playing pitch strategy a second document has been created to sit alongside it named ‘Informal Sports Assessment Report’. This document looks at the informal sports in Luton and the requirement for pitches to accommodate this type of demand, as well as considering possible routes into more formal sports through the informal. It considers the impact that informal sports may have on the overall supply and demand of sports facilities in Luton.

In agreement with Sport England and the relevant National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs), the report presents a supply and demand assessment of playing pitch facilities in accordance with Sport England’s Draft Guidance ‘Developing a Playing Pitch Strategy’. The methodology has been followed to develop a clear picture of the balance between the local supply of, and demand for, playing pitches and other outdoor sports.

The methodology details a 13 step approach to developing a playing pitch strategy (PPS). These steps are separated into five distinct sections:

 Section A: Preparation  Section B: Information gathering  Section C: Assessment  Section D: Key findings and issues  Section E: Strategy development and implementation

Sections A to D are covered in this report.

The methodology that has been used for non-pitch sports broadly follows the same format as the ‘Developing a Playing Pitch Strategy’ guidance however there is currently no prescribed methodology for non-pitch sports. The report draws conclusions for non-pitch sports based on supply and demand analysis. Where appropriate, e.g. bowling greens, a capacity analysis has also been carried out.

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Developing a Playing Pitch Strategy Methodology:

1.1: Section A: Preparation

To ensure that the PPS will be robust and successful and make the best use of available resources, the following steps were followed:

Step 1: Why the PPS is being developed

The PPS sits within the context of Luton Borough Council’s Prospectus 2013-2016, in which is identified three key priorities, which include: ‘to ensure the most vulnerable in Luton are safe and supported,’ and ‘to better equip residents of all ages to get jobs through investment in education and training.’ Against this backdrop, the rationale for producing the strategy is that it will help to deliver on the broader agenda to increase participation in sport, which is key to improving health and wellbeing outcomes and which can also play an important role in the development of confidence and skills among individuals as well as reducing anti-social behaviour.

The objectives of the strategy extend across multiple LBC departments and are summarised below:

 To help deliver the public health agenda  To inform the investment strategy for LBC initiatives  To inform local plan policy and potential developer contributions  To set the outdoor sports facilities plan within the context of the local plan and wider strategies for parks, green spaces and community development  To inform sports development initiatives  To reflect wider LBC asset reviews  To help facilitate community use of outdoor facilities on education sites

Links to other strategies

There are a number of related strategies developed by Luton Borough Council which have been adopted or are in the process of being developed, which are used to inform the Playing Pitch Strategy. They include:

 Luton Strategic Vision for Sport and Physical Activity (April 2013)  Luton Borough Council Prospectus 2013-2016  Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2012 – 2017  Luton Local Plan, 2001 – 2011  Corporate Asset Management Plan and Capital Strategy 2010- 2015  Luton Local Plan Review, 2011 – 2031 (in development, not available online)  Luton and South Bedfordshire Draft Green Space Strategy 2008 (useful background, available via www.shapeyourfuture.org.uk)  Luton Green Space Strategy (in development as part of Local Plan review, not available online)  Community Priorities documents, developed as part of the Your Say, Your Way programme  Luton’s Sustainable Community Strategy, 2008 – 2026

As detailed in the Luton Borough Council Prospectus 2013-16, the backdrop to the development of the Playing Pitch Strategy is that for the next three years, the Council must manage on much less funding from Government than in the previous three years.

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Increased pressures are likely to flow from changes to welfare benefits, greater need for social care and a new duty to improve the public’s health.

Within this context, a Playing Pitch Strategy for Luton must help to address health inequalities by seeking to promote participation in sport. The action plan must also take into account the considerable constraints on local authority budgets, the practical consequences of which will inevitably include less intensive maintenance in the short, medium and long term within Council operated parks.

The Strategic Vision for Sport and Physical Activity (2013) is a corporate document of which the playing pitch strategy fits into. The vision ensures that the Council’s investment into sport effectively contributes to the authority’s overall outcomes. Beyond this, a vision for sport in Luton will provide:

 Clarity of priorities in times of austerity  A means of securing resources through a clear, needs-based approach  Ability to maximise use of resources through informed decision making  A meaningful post 2012 legacy  A framework to realise Luton’s sporting ambitions

As stated in the Luton Local Plan, 2001 – 2011, Luton is now generally developed up to its administrative boundary and a central issue is the ‘extent to which the conflicting needs for various uses and facilities are to be balanced.’ In relation to a Playing Pitch Strategy, the use of land for formal sport must be set in the context of the other potential uses of green space and the need to protect and enhance the natural environment.

Step 2: Management arrangements

The project team (KKP) is responsible for the day to day development of the PPS and ensuring tasks are completed in line with the project plan. In order to ensure effective and continued PPS management, it has been supported by the abovementioned Steering Group comprising representatives from the Council, NGBs and Sport England. This is responsible for the vision and direction of the PPS from a strategic perspective and supporting, checking and challenging the work of the project team. It will be important for the Steering Group to continue once the PPS has been developed for several reasons, including:

 To be a champion for playing pitch provision in the area and promote the value and importance of the PPS.  To ensure implementation of the PPS’s recommendations and action plan.  To monitor and evaluate the outcomes of the PPS.  To ensure that the PPS is kept up to date and refreshed.  To review, at least annually, changes in supply and demand in line with available budgetary resources.

Assessment data was identified and collated between July and September 2013. Although this was not considered ideal for all sports, particularly football (because part of the period was out of season), for financial and political reasons, the Council decided to run the project at this time.

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As agreed with the steering group, the study area is sub divided into five analysis areas:

Analysis area Wards Central Saints, Biscot, High Town, Barnfield East Stopsley, Round Green, Crawley, Wigmore North Sundon Park, Limbury, Icknield, Northwell, Bramingham South Farley, South, Dallow West Lewsey, Challney, Leagrave

The analysis areas allow more localised assessment of provision and examination of facility spare capacity and overplay at a local level. Use of analysis areas also allows local circumstances and issues to be taken into account.

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Figure 1.1 Map of analysis areas

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Step 3: Tailoring the approach

In tailoring the approach to the study area, KKP has sought to consider how the characteristics of the area impacts upon playing pitch provision, including:

Participation in sport and physical activity

In order to help establish how active the local population is, which sports are played and how likely they are to participate in pitch sports, Sport England’s participation analysis tool (i.e., the Local Sport Profile tool) is used. It provides a detailed understanding of key participation trends between different groups in the Borough’s population.

The Active People Survey (APS) is the largest ever survey of sport and active recreation to be undertaken in Europe. The first year of the survey, APS1 was conducted between October 2005 and October 2006. A total of 363,724 adults living in England took part. APS2, the second year of the survey, was conducted between October 2007 and October 2008 this time a total of 191,325 adults took part. It has now become a continuous process, with APS3 completed in Oct 2009, APS4 in October 2010, APS5 in October 2011. AP6 is was completed in October 2012 and results are currently being analysed.

Each survey gathers data on the type, duration and intensity of people's participation in different types of sport and active recreation and cultural participation, as well as information about volunteering, club membership, tuition as an instructor or coach, participation in competitive sport and overall satisfaction with local sports provision.

Activity levels in the local population?

Table 1.1 below shows APS 3, 4, 5 and 6 results for Luton in comparison to the national and Sport England regional figures. Data for the nearest neighbours are also presented.

Table 1.1 Active People survey results for all adults – Luton and nearest unitary authority neighbours1

KPI National East of Luton Nearest neighbours % England % Oldham Bradford Coventry % % % % KPI 2 - At least 2008/09 % 4.7 4.7 2.1 3.9 6.1 7.9 1 hour per 2009/10 4.5 4.8 2.7 4.5 6.0 2.9 week 2010/11 7.3 8.0 6.9 6.6 9.2 6.3 volunteering to support sport 2011/12 7.6 7.4 3.8 6.5 5.5 6.1 KPI 3 - Club 2008/09 % 24.1 25.5 19.7 19.6 20.8 24.6 membership in 2009/10 23.9 24.3 17.6 19.9 20.0 18.3 the last 4 2010/11 23.3 23.6 17.1 19.2 19.2 23.6 weeks 2011/12 22.8 23.7 12.4 20.1 12.7 19.8 KPI 4 - 2008/09 % 17.5 18.3 14.5 14.0 13.8 19.0 Received 2009/10 17.5 18.3 11.0 12.2 15.4 12.9 tuition/coachin 2010/11 16.2 16.8 11.1 13.1 15.7 15.5 g in last 12 months 2011/12 16.8 17.4 10.4 11.6 13.4 12.7

1 According to www.cipfastats.net Luton’s top three nearest Unitary Authority neighbours are Oldham, Bradford and Coventry.

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KPI National East of Luton Nearest neighbours % England % Oldham Bradford Coventry % % % % KPI 5 - Taken 2008/09 % 14.4 14.7 12.2 13.3 11.7 17.8 part in 2009/10 14.4 15.3 11.4 10.3 14.3 12.1 organised 2010/11 14.3 14.5 9.1 10.5 11.5 13.8 competitive sport in last 12 2011/12 14.4 15.1 9.8 11.7 12.8 13.5 months KPI 6 - At least 2008/09 % 16.6 16.2 10.1 16.5 14.5 17.3 3 x 30 minutes 2009/10 16.5 16.4 13.5 18.2 16.7 16.1 moderate 2010/11 16.3 16.3 11.6 14.2 18.7 20.1 participation per week 2011/12 * * * * * *

Nearest neighbours are not geographic but those which are the closest to Luton in terms of socio-demographics. This type of comparison has been developed to aid local authorities to compare and benchmark. The models apply a range of socio-economic indicators upon which the specific family group (nearest neighbours) is calculated.

The table indicates that, in 2010/2011, the percentage of adults participating in at least 3 x 30 minutes moderate exercise per week was lower in Luton (11.6%) than both the national average (16.3%) and the regional average (16.3%). In addition, this figure was also lower than the averages in all of Luton’s nearest neighbours (Oldham 14.2%; Bradford 18.7% and Coventry 20.1%). Indeed, Luton has remained consistently lower than both the national and regional averages, as well as the averages of nearest neighbours, from 2008/2009 through to 2011/2012.

With regard to Sport England’s KPIs, Luton has also remained consistently lower than both the national and regional averages since 2008/2009. Furthermore, since 2008/2009, Luton has experienced a decrease in the majority of KPI’s. However, KPIs 2 and 6 have not consistently decreased; indeed, Luton has shown an increase in KPI 2 from 2.1% (2008/2009) to 3.8% (2011/2012) and an increase in KPI 6 from 10.1% (2008/2009) to 11.6% (2010/2011).

Market Analysis

It is not possible to break down the Active People Survey information into individual ward or analysis areas. However, in order to establish a more detailed market picture it is possible to cross-tabulate the demographic profile of Luton’s analysis areas with the nation demographic trends in sports participation that are identified in the Active People Survey.

Based on national trends, levels of sports participation (overall and by sport) and latent demand within any geographical area are likely to be affected by the ethnicity and age composition of that area.

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Luton’s Demographic Composition – Ethnicity

The chart below shows the ethnic profile of Luton’s population by ward and analysis area (ONS Census 2011 data). Overall, the ‘White British’ segment is the single largest group, accounting for 45% of Luton’s total population, with ‘White Other’ accounting for an additional 10%. There is significant variance by ward and analysis area however, with ‘Asian British: Indian / Pakistani / Bangladeshi’ making up the majority segment in three wards (Biscot, Saints, Dallow) and the largest single segment in the ‘Central’ analysis area. This segment also makes up a quarter of the population in the ‘West’ analysis area and a third in the ‘South’ area. The ‘North’ and ‘East’ analysis areas are strongly skewed towards the ‘White British or Other’ segments.

Active People Survey – Ethnicity Data

The Active People Survey 2011/12 (APS 7 Q2) identifies that the level of participation in sport at least once a week by Luton residents is 29.3% (29.0% in APS 6), compared to 35.2% nationally within the adult population (36% in APS 6).

The data is not sufficiently granular as to enable a breakdown of Luton’s information by sport and ethnicity. However, there is national data which shows variances in participation based on ethnic group and sport.

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Sports Participation – At Least Once a Week

The chart below depicts the proportion of adults (aged 16 and over) participating in at least four sessions, of at least 30 minutes, of (the) sport in the last 28 days. This is a national sample, as granular local data is not available.

Please note that ‘White British’ and ‘Black and Minority Ethnic’ are both subsets of the total Adult Population. ‘Asian’ is a subset of ‘Black and Minority Ethnic’

This data suggests the following:

 Levels of participation in any sport at least once a week are broadly comparable across all ethnic groups  Propensity to participate in cricket is somewhat higher (almost twice as high) among Black and Minority Ethnic groups than among the general population  Propensity to participate in cricket is significantly higher (four times as high) among the Asian segment specifically  Propensity to participate in football is moderately higher (50% higher) among all Black and Minority Ethnic groups than among the general population  Propensity to participate in football is somewhat higher (almost twice as high) among the Asian segment specifically

Latent Demand – Would Like To Do More Sport

The chart below depicts the proportion of adults (aged 16 and over) who would like to do more of the sport over the next 12 months than they currently do. This is a national sample, as granular local data is not available.

Please note that ‘White British’ and ‘Black and Minority Ethnic’ are both subsets of the total Adult Population. ‘Asian’ is a subset of ‘Black and Minority Ethnic’

This data suggests the following:

 Latent demand for sports participation is significantly higher among the Black and Minority Ethnic segment in general and the Asian segment specifically than in the

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wider adult population. Latent demand is approximately 70% in both these segments compared to 56% overall.  Latent demand for participation in cricket is somewhat higher for the Black and Minority Ethnic Population and significantly higher for the Asian segment (over 6x as high) than for the general adult population  In general, latent demand for participation in football is higher than for cricket. However, the gap between the Asian Population segment and the adult population as a whole in terms of latent football demand is lower than that for cricket (demand is only twice as high)

Participation in Organised Sport

Overall, the proportion of adults participating in organised sport is substantially lower in Luton than on average nationally – at 24.3% in Luton compared to 34.3% nationally.

The chart below shows the proportion of those adults (aged 16 and over) who have been a member of a club where they take part in sport in the last 28 days and/or received tuition to improve their performance in the last 12 months and/or taken part in organised competitive sport in the last 12 months. For 'all sports', this measure is a proportion of the population. If sports or sport groups are selected, this measure is a proportion of those who have participated in the sport in the last 28 days. This is a national sample, as granular local data is not available.

Please note that ‘White British’ and ‘Black and Minority Ethnic’ are both subsets of the total Adult Population. ‘Asian’ is a subset of ‘Black and Minority Ethnic’

This data suggests the following:

 The Asian segment exhibit a substantially lower propensity to participate in organised sport than the adult population in general (9% pts lower)

Luton’s Demographic Composition – Age

The chart below shows the age profile of Luton’s 16+ population by analysis area (ONS Census 2011 data) and highlights instances where an analysis area has a higher proportion of a particular age group than on average. Under 16s have been excluded from this analysis, since they are not included within the Active People survey. The Central and South areas are both skewed towards younger demographics, with 66% and 69% of the population between 16 and 44, compared to 59% overall. Both of these analysis areas also have a significantly higher proportion of 25-34 year olds than on average. By contrast, the East and North areas of the Borough have a higher proportion of older residents, with 55% of the population in the North area over 45 and almost a quarter over 65.

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Active People Survey – Age Data

The chart below depicts the proportion of adults (aged 16 and over) participating in at least four sessions, of at least 30 minutes, of (the) sport in the last 28 days, segmented by age.

This data illustrates that younger segments are participating in sport to a higher degree than older segments, and that this is also true for participation in organised sport.

The chart below depicts the proportion of adults (aged 16+) who would like to do more sport over the next 12 months than they currently do.

Within the national statistics, the 26-34 aged group express the highest level of latent demand. For Luton, latent demand appears to be particularly high among 20-25 year olds, although this statistic is based on only the latest data sample. There is only one historical data point for this group (APS 6 ,2011/12), which also puts Luton higher than the average for latent demand among 20-25 year olds, at 77% vs. 69% nationally.

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1.2: Section B: Information gathering

It is essential that a PPS is based on the best and most accurate and up-to-date information available about the supply of and demand for playing pitches. This section provides detail about how this information has been gathered in Luton.

Step 4: An audit of playing pitches

PPS guidance uses the following definitions of a playing pitch and playing field. These definitions are set out by the Government in the 2010 ‘Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order’.2

 Playing pitch – a delineated area which is used for association football, rugby, cricket, hockey, lacrosse, rounders, baseball, softball, American football, Australian football, Gaelic football, shinty, hurling, polo or cycle polo.  Playing field – the whole of a site which encompasses at least one playing pitch.

This PPS counts individual grass pitches (as a delineated area) as the basic unit of supply. The definition of a playing pitch also includes AGPs.

Quantity

All playing pitches are included irrespective of ownership, management and use. Playing pitch sites were initially identified using Sport England’s Active Places web based database. The Council and NGBs supported the process by checking and updating this initial data. This was also verified against club information supplied by local leagues. For each site the following detail is recorded in the project database. (It is supplied as an electronic file):

 Site name, address (including postcode) and location  Ownership and management type  Security of tenure  Total number, type and quality of pitches  A description and the quality of the ancillary facilities

Accessibility

Not all pitches offer the same level of access to the community. The ownership and accessibility of sports pitches also influences their actual availability for community use. Each site is assigned a level of community use as follows:

 Community use - pitches in public, voluntary, private or commercial ownership or management (including education sites) recorded as being available for hire and currently in use by teams playing in community leagues.  Available but unused - pitches that are available for hire but are not currently used by teams which play in community leagues; this most often applies to school sites but can also apply to sites which are expensive to hire.  No community use - pitches which as a matter of policy or practice are not available for hire or use by teams playing in community leagues. This should include professional club pitches along with some semi-professional club pitches where play is restricted to the first or second team.

2. www.sportengland.org>Facilities and Planning> Planning Applications

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Quality

The capacity for pitches to regularly provide for competitive play, training and other activity over a season is most often determined by their quality and location. Teams, especially youth teams, are only prepared to travel within the local vicinity.

There are a maximum number of games acceptable before a playing surface deteriorates and this is exacerbated by training on pitches. As a minimum, the quality and therefore the capacity of a pitch affects the playing experience and people’s enjoyment of a sport. In extreme circumstances it can result in a pitch being unable to cater for all or certain types of play during peak and off peak times.

It is not just the quality of the pitch itself which has an effect on its capacity but also the quality, standard and range of ancillary facilities. The quality of both the pitch and ancillary facilities will determine whether a pitch is able to contribute to meeting demand from various groups and for different levels and types of play.

The quality of all pitches identified in the audit and the ancillary facilities supporting them is assessed regardless of ownership, management or availability. Along with capturing any details specific to the individual pitches and sites, a quality rating is recorded within the audit for each pitch.

The ratings are used to help estimate the capacity of each pitch to accommodate competitive and other play within the supply and demand assessment.

In addition to undertaking non-technical assessments (using the templates provided within the guidance and as determined by NGBs), users and providers were also consulted with regard to quality and in some instances the quality rating adjusted to reflect this.

Step 5: Developing a picture of demand

Presenting an accurate picture of current demand for playing pitches (i.e. recording how and when pitches are used) is important in order to carry out the full supply and demand assessment. Demand for playing pitches in Luton tends to fall within the categories:

 Organised competitive play  Organised training  Informal play – also covered in the ‘Informal Sports Assessment Report’ which sits alongside this report.

In addition, unmet and displaced demand for provision is also identified on a sport by sport basis. Unmet demand is defined as the number of additional teams that could be fielded if access to a sufficient number of pitches (and ancillary facilities) was available. Displaced demand refers to teams that are generated from residents of the area but due to any number of factors do not currently play within the area.

Due to the deficiency in open space of recreational value in Luton capacity is already reduced as most green space needs to be multifunctional.

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Future demand

Alongside current demand it is important for a PPS to assess whether the future demand for playing pitches can be met. Using population projections, an estimate can be made of the likely future demand for playing pitches in Luton.

The latest population projections for Luton are consistent with the government’s methodology and projected a population growth of approximately 20% between 2011 and 2031, which translates to growth of 41,500 people and a need for approximately 18,000 households, based on a 5 year migration trend, these are the councils own projections. The trends are consistent with the local authority projections produced by the Office for National Statistics.

The Council has been reviewing Luton’s evidence base and running forecasting scenarios. Provisional results from them verify a need of 18,000 households in the next 20 years from the likely population growth in Luton.

In addition, there is likely to be future needs arising from demand from urban extensions with Luton's dwelling capacity being 6,000 dwellings over 20 years (2011-31).

Other information sources used to help identified future demand include:

 Recent trends in the participation in playing pitch sports.  The nature of the current and likely future population and their propensity to participate in pitch sports.  Feedback from pitch sports clubs on their plans to develop additional teams.  Any local and NGB specific sports development targets (e.g. increase in participation).

Current and future demand for playing pitches is presented on a sport by sport basis within the relevant sections of this report.

Consultation

A variety of consultation methods are used to collate demand information. Face to face consultation was carried out with key clubs from each sport. This allowed for collection of detailed demand information and exploration of key issues to be interrogated and more accurately assessed.

For data analysis purposes an online survey (converted to postal if required) was utilised. This was sent to all clubs not covered by face to face consultation.

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Consultation response rates

Type of club Total no. of Response Methods of consultation clubs rate [1] Football clubs 77 57% Survey, face to face and Football teams 208 79% telephone Cricket clubs 26 38% Survey, face to face and telephone Rugby union clubs 3 67% Face to face and telephone Hockey clubs 4 75% Survey, face to face and telephone Bowls clubs 8 88% Survey and telephone Gaelic football clubs 2 100% Survey Tennis clubs 1 100% Face to face

Please see the appendices for a list of consultees. The number of football clubs is lower in the response rates than in the football section of the report due to clubs being consulted as one, but for team purposes the clubs have been split into sections, for example; Crawley Green, Crawley Green (Saturday) and Crawley Green (Youth).

1.3: Section C: Assessment

Supply and demand information gathered within Section B was used to assess the adequacy of playing pitch provision in Luton. It focused on looking at how much use each site could potentially accommodate (on an area by area basis) compared to how much use is currently taking place.

Step 6: Understand how a site is being used

Qualitative pitch ratings are linked to a pitch capacity rating derived from NGB guidance and tailored to suit a local area. The quality and use of each pitch is assessed against the recommended pitch capacity to indicate how many match equivalent sessions per week (per season for cricket) a pitch could accommodate.

This is compared to the number of matches actually taking place and categorised as follows to identify:

Potential spare capacity: Play is below the level the site could sustain. At capacity: Play is at a level the site can sustain. Overused: Play exceeds the level the site can sustain

Step 7: Develop the current picture of provision

Once capacity is determined on a site by site basis, actual spare capacity is calculated on an area by area basis via further interrogation of temporal demand. Although this may have been identified it does not necessarily mean that there is surplus provision. For example, spare capacity may not be available at when it is needed or the site may be retained in a ‘strategic reserve’ to enable pitch rotation to reduce wear and tear.

[1] KKP contacted outstanding clubs on a minimum of three occasions to attempt to improve the response rates.

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Capacity ratings assist in the identification of sites for improvement/development, rationalisation, decommissioning and disposal.

Step 8: Scenario testing

Modelling scenarios to assess whether existing provision can cater for unmet, displaced and future demand is made after the capacity analysis. This will also include, for example, removing sites with unsecured community use to demonstrate the impact this would have were these sites to be decommissioned in the future.

1.4: Section D: Key findings and issues

By completing Sections A, B and C it is possible to identify several findings and issues relating to the supply, demand and adequacy of playing pitch provision in Luton. This report seeks to identify and present the key findings and issues, which should now be checked, challenged and agreed by the Steering Group prior to development of the Strategy (Section E).

Section D is structured to provide a sport by sport analysis as follows:

 Part 2: Football  Part 3: Cricket  Part 4: Rugby union  Part 5: Hockey  Part 6: Bowls  Part 7: Other sports  Part 7.1: Gaelic football  Part 7.2: Golf  Part 7.3: Netball  Part 7.4: Tennis  Part 7.5: Athletics  Part 7.6: MUGAs  Part 8: Education

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PART 2: FOOTBALL

2.1: Introduction

Bedfordshire FA is the primary organisation responsible for development (and some elements of administration) of football in Luton. It is also responsible for the administration, in terms of discipline, rules and regulations, cup competitions and representative matches, development of clubs and facilities, volunteers, referees, coaching courses and delivering national football schemes.

This section of the report focuses on the supply and demand for grass football pitches. Section 2.6 captures supply and demand for artificial grass pitches (AGPs). Although in the future it is anticipated that there will be a growing demand for the use of AGPs for competitive football fixtures to accommodate youth football, AGPs in Luton are currently used most for football training. In addition, there is not currently thought to be a direct relationship between demand for AGPs and demand for grass pitches.

FA Youth Development Review

The FA has consulted widely and has been encouraged to produce national pitch sizes for mini soccer (5V5 and 7v7), Youth football (9v9 and 11v11) and over 18 senior football (11v11). This will see an increased use of small-sided games for all age groups up to U12s. This will allow children to progress gradually through age-appropriate formats. The entry point for U7s and U8s will be the 5v5 game. U9s and U10s will then step up to 7v7, followed by a new 9v9 level for U11s and U12s.

Table 2.1: Summary of each step and the appropriate pitch and goal sizes

Age Format Recommended Pitch size Recommended pitch size including runoff 3 size of goal posts without runoff (Length x width (Height x width ft) (Length x width yards) yards) Mini soccer U7/U8 5 v 5 40 x 30 46 x 36 6 x 12 Mini soccer U9/U10 7 v 7 60 x 40 66 x 46 6 x 12 Youth 11/12 9 v 9 80 x 50 86 x 56 7 x 16 Youth 13/14 11 v 11 90 x 55 96 x 61 7 x 21 or 8 x 24 Youth 15/16 11 v 11 100 x 60 106 x 66 8 x 24 Youth 17/18 11 v 11 110 x 70 116 x 76 8 x 24 Over 18 (senior ages) 11 v 11 110 x 70 116 x 76 8 x 24

Playing smaller-sided games has been proved to give children an increased number of touches of the ball, while providing more goals and scoring attempts, more one-v-one encounters and more chance to attempt dribbling skills. It is this increased contact time with the ball that the FA believe will help children enjoy the game more while providing them with better preparation for the 11-a-side a game.

The introduction of 9v9 football, by the FA, is designed to help bridge the gap between mini soccer at U7-U10s and 11-a-side at U11s and has seen the introduction of a new intermediate sized pitch. The FA suggests that where there is limited space, there is the

3 Including runoff (safety area around the pitch)

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ability to mark out 9v9 pitches across a full size pitch. However, marking 9v9 pitches across adult pitches is not ideal in practice as over play is likely to be increased.

Marking out two 9v9 pitches on one senior pitch could help to meet the shortfall of youth pitches identified at peak times. However, specific 9v9 goals (recommended size 7 x 16ft) would be required.

The new format of the 9v9 game is now mandatory from the 2013/14 season for U11s and from the 2014/15 season for both U11s and U12. So far in Luton the demand for 9v9 has not been as high as initially anticipated.

The FA National Facilities Strategy (2013 – 2015)

A full summary of the facilities strategy can be found in Appendix 2, however, the main implications are set out below.

The Strategy commits to delivering in excess of £150m (through Football Foundation) into facility improvements across the National Game in line with identified priorities:

 Natural grass pitches improved – target: 100  A network of new AGPs built – target 100  A network of refurbished AGPs – target 150  On selected sites, new and improved changing facilities and toilets  Continue a small grants programme designed to address modest facility needs of clubs  Ongoing support with the purchase and replacement of goalposts

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Consultation

In addition to face to face consultation with key clubs and leagues, an electronic survey was sent to all football clubs playing in Luton, contact details were provided by Luton Borough Council and Bedfordshire County FA, and the invitation to complete the survey was distributed via email. The survey was returned by 77 clubs (equating to a 57% club response rate, including key face to face interviews, and a 79% team return rate). The results are used to inform key issues within this section of the report.

2.2: Supply

The audit identifies a total of 125 football pitches in Luton. Of these, 101 (46 sites) are available, at some level, for community use (although not necessarily used). 74 of the pitches identified are parks pitches.

Table 2.2: Summary of pitches

Analysis area Available for community use Adult Youth Mini Central 7 12 8 East 13 10 10 North 14 8 4 South 11 7 - West 9 3 9 LUTON 54 40 31

Detailed pitch guidance can be accessed at: http://www.thefa.com/GetIntoFootball/Facilities/Goalpost_and_Pitch_Sizes.aspx

Trends in supply

Over the last four seasons Luton Borough Council has maintained pitches dependant on demand. The table below shows the changes in supply over the previous four seasons:

Season Adult Youth Mini 2010/2011 53 19 19 2011/2012 48 18 18 2012/2013 47 18 16 2013/2014 39 23 12

The table above shows that demand for adult pitches has significantly reduced over the last four seasons. This is due to a decline in demand from adult teams who have either stopped playing or have chosen to move across to playing small sided games at 3G venues. The increase in youth pitches is in response to the FA Youth Review and the need for 9v9 pitches. There has also been a decline in demand for mini provision.

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Figure 2.1: Location and capacity of football pitches

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Table 2.3: Key to map of football pitches

PPS Site name Community Analysis Pitch Pitch Agreed No. of Site Use area type Size quality pitches ID rating 2 Alder Crescent Recreation Yes Central Adult - Poor 1 Ground 2 Alder Crescent Recreation Yes Central Youth (11v11) Poor 1 Ground 3 Ashcroft High School No East Adult - Standard 1 3 Ashcroft High School No East Youth (11v11) Standard 1 5 Barnfield Health & Fitness Yes Central Adult - Standard 4 Suite And Barnfield College 5 Barnfield Health & Fitness Yes Central Mini (7v7) Standard 2 Suite And Barnfield College 5 Barnfield Health & Fitness Yes Central Mini (5v5) Standard 1 Suite And Barnfield College 8 Barnfield West Academy Yes-unused West Youth (11v11) Standard 1 10 Beechwood Primary Yes-unused West Youth (11v11) Standard 1 School 11 Bells Close Recreation Yes Central Youth (9v9) Standard 1 Ground (People's Park) 12 Blundell Road Recreation Yes Central Adult - Standard 1 Ground 12 Blundell Road Recreation Yes Central Youth (11v11) Standard 1 Ground 12 Blundell Road Recreation Yes Central Mini (7v7) Standard 1 Ground 12 Blundell Road Recreation Yes Central Youth (9v9) Standard 1 Ground 13 Bramingham Primary No North Mini (7v7) Standard 1 School 16 Bushmead Primary School Yes Central Mini (5v5) Standard 1 17 Cardinal Newman Yes North Adult - Standard 1 Secondary School 17 Cardinal Newman Yes North Youth (11v11) Standard 1 Secondary School 18 Challney Girls High School No West Adult - Standard 1 20 Chaul End Lane Open Yes West Adult - Poor 1 Space 22 Crawley Green Recreation Yes East Adult - Standard 2 Ground 22 Crawley Green Recreation Yes East Mini (7v7) Standard 3 Ground 22 Crawley Green Recreation Yes East Youth (11v11) Standard 1 Ground 23 Dallow Primary School No South Youth (9v9) Standard 1 24 Denbigh High School No Central Adult - Standard 1 25 Denbigh High Detached Central Mini (7v7) Standard 1 Playing Fields 25 Denbigh High Detached Yes Central Youth (11v11) Standard 1 Playing Fields 26 Downside Primary School Yes West Mini (5v5) Standard 1

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PPS Site name Community Analysis Pitch Pitch Agreed No. of Site Use area type Size quality pitches ID rating 27 Farley Junior School Yes-unused South Youth (9v9) Good 1 28 Former Electrolux Playing No West Adult - Standard 2 Field (Aka Addington Way Open Space) 29 Foxdell Recreation Ground Yes South Adult - Poor 1 30 Hillborough Junior School No South Youth (9v9) Good 1 31 Icknield High School No North Adult - Standard 2 32 Icknield Way Recreation Yes North Adult - Standard 3 Ground 32 Icknield Way Recreation Yes North Youth (11v11) Standard 1 Ground 33 Kenilworth Stadium Yes South Adult - Standard 1 34 Kent Athletic Sports & Yes West Adult - Good 1 Social Club 35 Kingsway Recreation Yes South Adult - Standard 1 Ground 36 Lancaster Avenue Yes North Youth (9v9) Good 1 Recreation Ground 38 Lea Manor Recreation Yes North Adult - Standard 1 Ground And Centre 38 Lea Manor Recreation Yes North Youth (9v9) Standard 2 Ground And Centre 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Yes North Adult - Standard 7 Park) 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Yes North Mini (7v7) Standard 1 Park) 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Yes North Youth (11v11) Standard 1 Park) 40 Leagrave Primary School Yes-unused West Mini (7v7) Standard 1 42 Lewsey Park Yes West Adult - Standard 4 42 Lewsey Park Yes West Mini (7v7) Standard 1 42 Lewsey Park Yes West Youth (11v11) Standard 1 43 Lothair Road Recreation Yes East Adult - Poor 5 Ground 43 Lothair Road Recreation Yes East Youth (9v9) Standard 1 Ground 43 Lothair Road Recreation Yes East Youth (11v11) Standard 2 Ground 44 Luton Regional Yes East Adult Standard 5 44 Luton Regional Yes East Mini (7v7) Standard 3 44 Luton Regional Yes East Youth (11v11) Standard 1 44 Luton Regional Yes East Youth (9v9) Standard 1 46 Luton Sixth Form College Yes Central Youth (11v11) Standard 1 46 Luton Sixth Form College Yes Central Youth (9v9) Standard 2 50 Putteridge Junior School No East Mini (7v7) Standard 2 51 Raynham Way Recreation No East Youth (11v11) Standard 1 Ground 52 Selsey Drive Yes-unused East Adult - Poor 1 52 Selsey Drive Yes-unused East Youth (11v11) Poor 1 53 St Joseph's Catholic Junior No Central Mini (5v5) Standard 1 School

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PPS Site name Community Analysis Pitch Pitch Agreed No. of Site Use area type Size quality pitches ID rating 53 St Joseph's Catholic Junior No Central Youth (11v11) Standard 1 School 53 St Joseph's Catholic Junior No Central Youth (9v9) Standard 1 School 55 Stockwood Park Yes South Adult - Standard 5 55 Stockwood Park Yes South Youth (11v11) 2 55 Stockwood Park Yes South Youth (9v9) 2 56 Stockwood Park Athletics Yes South Adult - Standard 1 Centre 59 The Meads Primary School No North Mini (7v7) Standard 1 61 Venue 360 Yes South Adult - Standard 2 62 Warden Hill Junior School No North Youth (9v9) Standard 1 63 Wardown Park Yes Central Youth (9v9) Standard 2 64 Wigmore Primary School No East Mini (7v7) Standard 1 65 Wigmore Valley Park Yes East Adult - Poor 3 68 Chantry Primary Academy Yes-unused West Mini (7v7) Standard 2 69 Pirton Hill Primary No West Mini (7v7) Standard 2 70 Sacred Heart primary Yes East Mini (7v7) Good 1 School 71 Someries Junior School Yes East Youth (9v9) Standard 1 72 Southfield Primary School No West Mini (7v7) Standard 2 73 St Matthews Primary No Central Mini (5v5) Poor 1 School 74 Sundon Park Junior School Yes North Mini (7v7) Standard 1 74 Sundon Park Junior School Yes North Youth (9v9) Standard 1

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Ownership/management

There are a number of pitch providers in Luton. Although the Council own the majority of sites, other providers include academies, schools/colleges and private sports clubs. The Club survey indicates that the majority of clubs (78%) playing in Luton hire pitches on an annual basis, i.e. via leagues, with the remaining either owning (17%) or leasing (5%) their home ground.

The majority of sites have attendants on site who manage the running of the facilities when the pitches are in use. Leased/licensed sites do not have attendants and these are Crawley Green, Foxdell Recreation Ground, Kingsway, Lancaster Avenue and Alder Crescent.

The leagues, clubs and the FA are all very positive towards the Council and appear to have good, well established relationships in place. Generally the clubs and leagues are very happy with the management of pitches and facilities.

Information gathered within the Council’s Annual Price Survey seeks to compare football pitch hire charges with other similar authorities and is displayed in the table below:

Table 2.4: Summary of football charges

Pitch LBC

type Current

elds

Price B Regis

2012 £ Mitlon

Keynes

Bedford

Leighton Bradford

St Albans St

Houghton

Dunstable

Barnfi Stevenage

Adult 44.20 50.00 44.00 53.13 31.60 46.39 60.90 56.81 46.45 36.76 p/h Youth 11.60 40.00 18.00 15.92 16.20 14.71 25.00 44.03 22.65 18.38 U14-U18 p/h on adult pitches (always need changing Youth 11.60 - 18.00 10.50 14.46 14.71 25.00 - 22.65 18.38 U11-U13 on junior pitches Mini 7.50 - 15.00 7.79 9.46 17.50 11.02 - - soccer (no fixed goals or changing)

The Luton charges are comparable with other local authorities and in some cases slightly cheaper.

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Pitch quality

The quality of football pitches in Luton has been assessed via a combination of site visits (using non-technical assessments as determined by The FA – see Appendix 4) and user consultation to reach and apply an agreed rating as follows:

 Good  Standard  Poor

The non-technical site assessments show that over three quarters (85%) of the pitches across the Borough are of ‘standard’ quality. Club views on the quality of pitches varied: 32% rated their pitch as good, 44% rated their pitch as standard and 24% rated their pitch as poor. It should be noted that clay soil can be a problem in Luton and can lead to waterlogging.

27% of clubs report that the quality of the pitch is ‘slightly poorer’ or ‘much poorer’ than the previous season. This is attributed by the clubs to lower frequency maintenance regimes, uneven surfaces, areas such as centre circle and penalty area with no grass and pitches not being maintained in the summer.

Consultation highlights that private sites (i.e. sports clubs and works grounds) offer better quality facilities than Council parks/playing fields and school pitches. In general, such sports clubs tend to have dedicated ground staff or volunteers working on pitches and the fact that they are often secured by fencing prevents unofficial use. The maintenance and use of Council sites tends to be less frequent and unofficial use of these sites can further exacerbate quality issues.

The table below summarises the quality of all pitches. Nine senior, two youth and zero mini pitches are assessed as ‘poor’ quality. Increasing pitch quality could help to accommodate further play. The pitches of standard quality could also be improved to increase carrying capacity, i.e. increase the number of matches that a pitch can accommodate.

Table 2.5: Pitch quality assessments (all use)

Senior pitches Youth pitches Mini pitches Good Standard Poor Good Standard Poor Good Standard Poor 1 25 9 2 15 2 - 19 -

Of responding clubs, 56% report ‘no difference’ in the quality of the pitch since last season and 17% report that it is slightly better or much better.

Unpaid use

Club consultation suggests that several sites suffer from the effects of overuse. This can take the form of other users playing on the pitches but is also caused by, for example, bikes being ridden across pitches and dog walkers. There is a conflict as some teams pay to play and others do not which puts excessive pressure on playing surfaces. 68% of clubs report ‘some’, or ‘lots of’ evidence of dog foul/glass/litter/vehicle tracks.

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Pitches located in Luton’s parks are also required to perform as public open space when not being used for organised match play. This use all adds to wear and tear of pitches.

Ancillary facilities

Changing facilities is an issue at many football sites in Luton. 15% of responding clubs report that the changing rooms are of poor quality and 39% report that they are standard quality.

There are 12 clubs which report that better ancillary facilities would enable them to run more teams. Facility requirements such as better changing facilities, female only showers, floodlit pitches for training, and storage facilities were cited as requirements. The 12 clubs are:

Club Club comments Crawley Green Youth Better quality St Joseph Sunday Better facilities AFC Chequers Caddington Better changing facilities, female only showers installed. ASR Elites FC More floodlit pitches, so training can be done during winter without having to go to astroturf Luton Borough FC You would be able to attract more players and coaches Broadwalk United - Luton United Storage facilities Stopsley Stingers FC U15 Better changing facilities A.C Sportsman - Sundon Park Rangers (Saturday) Better changing facilities and club house Sporting Sundon FC If we benefitted from a suitable base with good changing facilities and other amenities that we could consider a 'base' we would potentially be keen to have more adult teams. Brache Nations -

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2.3: Demand

A total of 240 teams are identified as Luton based team, however, 208 play in Luton. Of these, five teams are playing on 3G pitch provision. These are all adult teams.

Table 2.6: Summary of competitive teams currently playing on grass pitches

Analysis area Adult teams Youth teams Mini teams Adult Adult Youth Youth Mini men women boys girls soccer4 Central 10 - 19 - 20 East 13 1 23 2 14 North 16 - 22 2 6 South 26 4 5 - - West 13 - 4 - 4 LUTON 82 5 73 4 44

Most teams (53 in total) play in East Area which also has high levels of youth and mini football teams. However, Central and North areas also have a high number of teams.

In the club surveys, 56% report that the number of senior teams has remained static in the last three years (19% has increased and 15% decreased, 10% did not answer). For youth football (U11-U16), 17% report that the number of teams has decreased with just over half (52%) reporting that the number of teams has remained static. No clubs report an increase. For mini teams 15% report an increase in the number of teams, 42% report that teams had stayed the same, and only 5% report a decrease (38% did not respond). Luton Borough Council also reports that overall there has been a decrease in the number of adult teams.

Of the clubs that report a decrease in the number of youth teams, the age groups lost were U16 and U18. This highlights the issue of the drop off in youth teams from U14s upwards and supports suggestions that although the number of mini teams is increasing this will not necessarily translate into an increase in senior teams in the future.

Furthermore, and highlighted in the leagues section below, many players from 16 years upwards are opting to play the small-sided versions of the game on 3G. Almost all of the clubs that report a decrease in the number of teams attribute it to a lack of coaches and volunteers. Some also mention cost and one club reports that not enough facilities are available.

4 Girls and boys play alongside each other in mini soccer at U7s – U10s i.e. ages 6-9 years old.

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Leagues

Table 2.7: Summary of league consultation:

League Comments Chiltern Junior 7’s The League is a large provider of mini and youth football in the Luton area. It operates two divisions of U7/U8, three divisions of U9, four divisions of U10, three divisions of U11 and two divisions of U12. There are 40 clubs in the League, of which, 16 are from Luton. The League reports that there has been a decrease in the lower age group bracket over the previous three years. Due to this there has been a decrease in the number of pitches. The League’s opinions on the three worst sites are: Luton Regional, Lothair Road and People’s Park due to the areas having no protection from bad weather, poor drainage and no parking. The League considers the best site to be Lower Wardown. Beds & Herts Women’s League The League services women’s football around Luton and has and Herts Partnership League four teams competing from Luton. Numbers have remained constant over the previous three years. Entry into the League requires clubs to have separate female changing rooms, toilets, refreshments and a good quality pitch. Failure to comply will mean that teams are removed from the League which means that adhering to the requirements is essential. Luton District & South Beds There are ten clubs from Luton competing in the League. It is Football League made up of a premier division and a first division with a total of 14 clubs. Numbers have remained static over the previous three years. It believes that changing facilities are improving but that pitches are getting worse. It also reports that there appears to be enough pitches which could be down to leagues reducing in size. It cannot join Step 7 of the pyramid due to the quality of facilities in Luton and the need for dug outs, roped pitches, etc. It does not consider any of the Luton Council pitches to be of good quality. Bedfordshire County Football The League is county standard and Step 7 of the pyramid. League Three of the 53 clubs are from Luton. There has been an overall increase in the number of teams in the previous three years with a small increase in teams from Luton. It has specific requirements which are national requirements of Step 7 clubs including changing facilities, showers, toilets, referees room, good quality pitch and barriers. Sites used by clubs in Luton are Stockwood Park and Chaul End. Bedfordshire Youth Saturday The Youth League is made up of ten divisions from U13 to League U16 and currently has 85 teams competing. There are approximately 11 clubs from Luton in the League. There is less demand from the league for pitches than the Sunday leagues. North Home Counties Sunday Did not respond to survey Football League South Beds Sunday Football Did not respond to survey League Leighton & District Sunday Did not respond to survey League

Chiltern Youth League Did not respond to survey

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League Comments Beds District U21 League Did not respond to survey

Unmet demand

Unmet demand is existing demand that is not getting access to pitches. It is usually expressed, for example, when a team is already training but is unable to access a match pitch, or when a league has a waiting list due to a lack of pitch provision, which in turn is hindering the growth of the league. None of the clubs explicitly expressed unmet demand and none of the leagues highlighted that they had a waiting list. The majority of clubs reported that regardless of whether more pitches were available they would not currently be able to field any more teams. Furthermore, Luton Council reports that the number of pitches has been reduced in Luton due to a year on year decrease in demand

Latent demand

12 clubs report that better ancillary facilities would enable them to run more teams. Facility requirements such as better changing facilities, female only showers, floodlit pitches for training, and storage facilities were cited as requirements. The 12 clubs are:

Club Club comments Crawley Green Youth Better quality St Joseph Sunday Better facilities AFC Chequers Caddington Better changing facilities, female only showers installed. ASR Elites FC More floodlit pitches, so training can be done during winter without having to go to astroturf Luton Borough FC You would be able to attract more players and coaches Broadwalk United - Luton United Storage facilities Stopsley Stingers FC U15 Better changing facilities A.C Sportsman - Sundon Park Rangers (Saturday) Better changing facilities and club house Sporting Sundon FC If we benefitted from a suitable base with good changing facilities and other amenities that we could consider a 'base' we would potentially be keen to have more adult teams. Brache Nations -

Displaced demand

Displaced demand refers to Luton registered teams that are currently accessing pitches outside of the Area for their home fixtures, normally because their pitch requirements cannot be met, which is usually because of pitch supply or quality issues. Crawley Green FC would like to build an arena pitch in Luton as they currently have to travel outside of Luton to access a pitch which meets the requirements of the League that the club plays in (Step 5). There is also displaced demand from Sacred Heart Youth FC (two mini and two youth teams) playing at Offley Recreation Ground, Hertfordshire and Luton Leagrave U14 playing at Moore Crescent, Houghton Regis.

88% of clubs report that they are playing at their preferred home ground, 32 teams are identified as being from Luton but actually play outside of the Borough. Reasons identified for this through club surveys include cost of hiring pitches and facilities and better

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changing facilities and pitch quality. The FA believes that this number is on the increase and that more teams are accessing facilities outside of Luton.

Imported demand

There was minimal imported demand identified through consultation. Luton Council also reports that very few teams from outside of Luton hire pitches within Luton. The Central Bedfordshire playing pitch strategy does identify some exported demand from Central Beds to Luton and is highlighted below:

 AFC Clophill – Leagrave  Caddington Chequers - Luton  Dunstable Town Ladies – Vauxhall Recreation Ground

Women’s and girls’ football

Nine girls’ and five senior women’s teams presently operate in the Borough. Luton Town Ladies has the highest number of teams with five (it should be noted that junior girls’ play competitively in mini soccer teams up to the age of 10). The teams play at Stockwood Park Athletics Centre and Lancaster Avenue. Crawley Green FC also has a girls’ team.

The clubs and leagues servicing women’s and girls’ football in Luton are Beds & Herts County Girls and Women’s League, the Herts Girls Football Partnership League and the South East Women’s Combination League.

Casual demand

Casual and informal demand is difficult to quantify. In Luton it is known that some pitches are used for recreational purposes by casual users but this has not been quantified in the capacity tables because the pitches are used on a casual basis and it is unlikely that this use would significantly reduce the capacity of the pitches in question (generally parks pitches).

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2.4: Capacity analysis

The capacity for pitches to regularly provide for competitive play, training and other activity over a season is most often determined by quality. As a minimum, the quality and therefore the capacity of a pitch affects the playing experience and people’s enjoyment of playing football. In extreme circumstances it can result in the inability of the pitch to cater for all or certain types of play during peak and off peak times.

As a guide, The FA has set a standard number of matches that each grass pitch type should be able to accommodate without adversely affecting its current quality (pitch capacity).

Taking into consideration the guidelines on capacity the following was concluded in Luton:

Senior pitches Youth pitches Mini pitches Pitch Matches per Pitch Matches per Pitch Matches per quality week quality week quality week Good 3 Good 4 Good 6 Standard 2 Standard 2 Standard 4 Poor 1 Poor 1 Poor 2

Table 2.9 overleaf applies the above pitch ratings against the actual level of weekly play recorded to determine a capacity rating as follows:

Potential capacity Play is below the level the site could sustain At capacity Play matches the level the site can sustain Overused Play exceeds the level the site can sustain

Education capacity

Education demand (i.e. curricular and extracurricular activity) has been accounted for by reducing, where necessary, the capacity of education pitches for community use. To account for this education demand the capacity of school sites has been reduced by one match equivalent session per week.

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Table 2.8: Football pitch capacity analysis

PPS Site name Community Analysis Pitch type Pitch Agreed No. of Match Recommended Capacity Site Use area Size quality pitches equivalent Site capacity rating ID rating sessions (sessions per (per week) week) 2 Alder Crescent Recreation Yes Central Adult Poor 1 1.5 1 0.5 Ground 2 Alder Crescent Recreation Yes Central Youth (11v11) Poor 1 0 1 -1 Ground 3 Ashcroft High School No East Adult Standard 1 0 1 -1 3 Ashcroft High School No East Youth (11v11) Standard 1 0 1 -1 5 Barnfield Health & Fitness Suite Yes Central Adult Standard 4 3 3 0 And Barnfield College 5 Barnfield Health & Fitness Suite Yes Central Mini (5v5) Standard 1 1 3 -2 And Barnfield College 5 Barnfield Health & Fitness Suite Yes Central Mini (7v7) Standard 1 2.5 3 -0.5 And Barnfield College 8 Barnfield West Academy Yes-unused West Youth (11v11) Standard 1 0 1 -1 10 Beechwood Primary School Yes-unused West Youth (11v11) Standard 1 0 1 -1 11 Bells Close Recreation Ground Yes Central Youth (9v9) Standard 1 0.5 2 -1.5 (People's Park) 12 Blundell Road Recreation Yes Central Adult Standard 1 0 2 -2 Ground 12 Blundell Road Recreation Yes Central Mini (7v7) Standard 1 1.5 4 -2.5 Ground 12 Blundell Road Recreation Yes Central Youth (11v11) Standard 1 1 2 -1 Ground 12 Blundell Road Recreation Yes Central Youth (9v9) Standard 1 1.5 2 -0.5 Ground 13 Bramingham Primary School No North Mini (7v7) Standard 1 0 3 -3 16 Bushmead Primary School Yes Central Mini (5v5) Standard 1 0.5 3 -2.5 17 Cardinal Newman Secondary Yes North Adult Standard 1 4.5 1 3.5 School 17 Cardinal Newman Secondary Yes North Youth (11v11) Standard 1 3 1 2 School

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PPS Site name Community Analysis Pitch type Pitch Agreed No. of Match Recommended Capacity Site Use area Size quality pitches equivalent Site capacity rating ID rating sessions (sessions per (per week) week) 18 Challney Girls High School No West Adult Standard 1 0 1 -1 20 Chaul End Lane Open Space Yes West Adult Poor 1 0.5 1 -0.5 22 Crawley Green Recreation Yes East Adult Standard 2 2 4 -2 Ground 22 Crawley Green Recreation Yes East Mini (7v7) Standard 3 6 12 -6 Ground 22 Crawley Green Recreation Yes East Youth (11v11) Standard 1 2.5 2 0.5 Ground 23 Dallow Primary School No South Youth (9v9) Standard 1 0 1 -1 24 Denbigh High School No Central Adult Standard 1 0 1 -1 25 Denbigh High Detached Playing Central Mini (7v7) Standard 1 2.5 3 -0.5 Fields 25 Denbigh High Detached Playing Yes Central Youth (11v11) Standard 1 0.5 1 -0.5 Fields 26 Downside Primary School Yes West Mini (5v5) Standard 1 1 3 -2 27 Farley Junior School Yes-unused South Youth (9v9) Good 1 0 3 -3 28 Former Electrolux Playing Field No West Adult Standard 2 0 4 -4 (Aka Addington Way Open Space) 29 Foxdell Recreation Ground Yes South Adult Poor 1 1 2 -1 30 Hillborough Junior School No South Youth (9v9) Good 1 0 3 -3 31 Icknield High School No North Adult Standard 2 0 2 -2 32 Icknield Way Recreation Ground Yes North Adult Standard 3 2 6 -4 32 Icknield Way Recreation Ground Yes North Youth (11v11) Standard 1 3 2 1 33 Kenilworth Stadium Yes South Adult Standard 1 1 2 -1 34 Kent Athletic Sports & Social Yes West Adult Good 1 2.5 3 -0.5 Club 35 Kingsway Recreation Ground Yes South Adult Standard 1 2.5 2 0.5 36 Lancaster Avenue Recreation Yes North Youth (11v11) Good 1 1 4 -3 Ground 38 Lea Manor Recreation Ground Yes-unused North Mini (5v5) Standard 1 0 4 -4 And Centre

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PPS Site name Community Analysis Pitch type Pitch Agreed No. of Match Recommended Capacity Site Use area Size quality pitches equivalent Site capacity rating ID rating sessions (sessions per (per week) week) 38 Lea Manor Recreation Ground Yes North Mini (7v7) Standard 1 0 4 -4 And Centre 38 Lea Manor Recreation Ground Yes North Youth (11v11) Standard 1 1.5 2 -0.5 And Centre 38 Lea Manor Recreation Ground Yes North Youth (9v9) Standard 2 1 4 -3 And Centre 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) Yes North Adult Standard 7 6.5 14 -7.5 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) Yes North Mini (7v7) Standard 1 1.5 4 -2.5 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) Yes North Youth (11v11) Standard 1 3.5 2 1.5 40 Leagrave Primary School Yes-unused West Mini (7v7) Standard 1 0 3 -3 42 Lewsey Park Yes West Adult Standard 4 4.5 8 -3.5 42 Lewsey Park Yes West Mini (5v5) Standard 1 1 4 -3 42 Lewsey Park Yes West Youth (11v11) Standard 1 1 2 -1 43 Lothair Road Recreation Yes East Adult Poor 5 4 9 -5 Ground 43 Lothair Road Recreation Yes East Youth (11v11) Standard 1 3 2 1 Ground 43 Lothair Road Recreation Yes East Youth (9v9) Standard 1 0.5 2 -1.5 Ground 44 Luton Regional Recreation Yes East Adult Standard 3 2 6 -4 Ground 44 Luton Regional Recreation Yes East Mini (7v7) Standard 2 1 8 -7 Ground 44 Luton Regional Recreation Yes East Youth (11v11) Standard 1 0 2 -2 Ground 44 Luton Regional Recreation Yes East Youth (9v9) Standard 1 1.5 2 -0.5 Ground 46 Luton Sixth Form College Yes Central Youth (11v11) Standard 1 0.5 1 -0.5 46 Luton Sixth Form College Yes Central Youth (9v9) Standard 2 2.5 2 0.5 50 Putteridge Junior School No East Mini (7v7) Standard 2 0 6 -6 51 Raynham Way Recreation No East Adult Standard 1 0 2 -2 Ground

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PPS Site name Community Analysis Pitch type Pitch Agreed No. of Match Recommended Capacity Site Use area Size quality pitches equivalent Site capacity rating ID rating sessions (sessions per (per week) week) 52 Selsey Drive Yes-unused East Adult Poor 1 0 1 -1 52 Selsey Drive Yes-unused East Youth (11v11) Poor 1 0 1 -1 53 St Joseph's Catholic Junior No Central Mini (5v5) Standard 1 0.5 3 -2.5 School 53 St Joseph's Catholic Junior No Central Youth (11v11) Standard 1 1 1 0 School 53 St Joseph's Catholic Junior No Central Youth (9v9) Standard 1 0 1 -1 School 55 Stockwood Park Yes South Adult Standard 5 3.5 10 -6.5 55 Stockwood Park Yes South Youth (11v11) Standard 2 1 4 -3 55 Stockwood Park Yes South Youth (9v9) Standard 2 0.5 4 -3.5 56 Stockwood Park Athletics Yes South Adult Standard 1 1 2 -1 Centre 59 The Meads Primary School No North Mini (7v7) Standard 1 1 3 -2 61 Venue 360 Yes South Adult Standard 2 6 4 2 62 Warden Hill Junior School No North Youth (9v9) Standard 1 0 1 -1 63 Wardown Park Yes Central Youth (9v9) Standard 2 2.5 4 -1.5 64 Wigmore Primary School No East Mini (7v7) Standard 1 0 3 -3 65 Wigmore Valley Park Yes East Adult Poor 3 2 3 -1 68 Chantry Primary Academy Yes-unused West Mini (7v7) Standard 2 0 6 -6 69 Pirton Hill Primary No West Mini (7v7) Standard 2 0 6 -6 70 Sacred Heart primary School Yes East Mini (7v7) Good 1 0.5 4 -3.5 71 Someries Junior School Yes East Youth (9v9) Standard 1 1.5 1 0.5 72 Southfield Primary School No West Mini (7v7) Standard 2 0 6 -6 73 St Matthews Primary School No Central Mini (5v5) Poor 1 0 1 -1 74 Sundon Park Junior School Yes North Mini (7v7) Standard 1 1.5 3 -1.5 74 Sundon Park Junior School Yes North Youth (9v9) Standard 1 1.5 1 0.5

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2.5: Supply and demand analysis

Spare capacity

The next step is to ascertain whether or not any identified ‘potential capacity’ can be deemed ‘spare capacity’. There may be situations where, although a site is highlighted as potentially able to accommodate some additional play, this should not be recorded as spare capacity against the site. For example, a site may be managed to regularly operate slightly below full capacity to ensure that it can cater for a number of regular friendly matches and activities that take place but are difficult to quantify on a weekly basis.

There are 48 pitches across 38 sites that express potential spare capacity. The extent of whether this is within the stated peak time is quantified below.

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Table 2.9: Actual spare capacity

Site Site name Community Analysis Pitch size Pitch type No. of Capacity Pitches Comments ID use area pitches rating available in peak period 2 Alder Crescent Recreation Ground Yes Central Youth (11v11) 1 -1 1 No spare capacity due to poor quality 5 Barnfield Health & Fitness Suite And Yes Central Adult 4 -1 2 Spare capacity Barnfield College 5 Barnfield Health & Fitness Suite And Yes Central Mini (5v5) 1 -2 1 Spare capacity Barnfield College 5 Barnfield Health & Fitness Suite And Yes Central Mini (7v7) 1 -0.5 1 Spare capacity Barnfield College 11 Bells Close Recreation Ground (People's Yes Central Youth (9v9) 1 -1.5 0.5 Minimal spare capacity at Park) peak time 12 Blundell Road Recreation Ground Yes Central Adult 1 -2 1 Spare capacity 12 Blundell Road Recreation Ground Yes Central Mini (7v7) 1 -2.5 1 Spare capacity 12 Blundell Road Recreation Ground Yes Central Youth (11v11) 1 -1 1 Spare capacity 12 Blundell Road Recreation Ground Yes Central Youth (9v9) 1 -0.5 0.5 Minimal spare capacity at peak time 16 Bushmead Primary School Yes Central Mini (5v5) 1 -2.5 1 Spare capacity 20 Chaul End Lane Open Space Yes West Adult 1 -0.5 1 Spare capacity 22 Crawley Green Recreation Ground Yes East Adult 2 -2 1.5 Spare capacity 25 Denbigh High Detached Playing Fields Yes Central Mini (7v7) 1 -0.5 1 Spare capacity 25 Denbigh High Detached Playing Fields Yes Central Youth (11v11) 1 -0.5 1 Spare capacity 26 Downside Primary School Yes West Mini (5v5) 1 -2 1 Spare capacity 32 Icknield Way Recreation Ground Yes North Adult 3 -4 1 Spare capacity 33 Kenilworth Stadium Yes South Adult 1 -1 1 Spare capacity 38 Lea Manor Recreation Ground And Centre Yes North Mini (7v7) 1 -4 1 Spare capacity 38 Lea Manor Recreation Ground And Centre Yes North Youth (11v11) 1 -0.5 1 Spare capacity 38 Lea Manor Recreation Ground And Centre Yes North Youth (9v9) 2 -3 1.5 Spare capacity 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) Yes North Adult 7 -7.5 5.5 Spare capacity

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Site Site name Community Analysis Pitch size Pitch type No. of Capacity Pitches Comments ID use area pitches rating available in peak period 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) Yes North Mini (7v7) 1 -2.5 1 Spare capacity 42 Lewsey Park Yes West Adult 4 -3.5 2 Spare capacity 42 Lewsey Park Yes West Mini (5v5) 1 -3 1 Spare capacity 43 Lothair Road Recreation Ground Yes East Adult 5 -5 1.5 No spare capacity due to poor quality 43 Lothair Road Recreation Ground Yes East Youth (9v9) 1 -1.5 1 No spare capacity due to poor quality 44 Luton Regional Recreation Ground Yes East Adult 3 -4 2.5 Spare capacity 44 Luton Regional Recreation Ground Yes East Mini (7v7) 2 -7 2 Spare capacity 44 Luton Regional Recreation Ground Yes East Youth (11v11) 1 -2 1 Spare capacity 44 Luton Regional Recreation Ground Yes East Youth (9v9) 1 -0.5 0.5 Minimal spare capacity at peak time 46 Luton Sixth Form College Yes Central Youth (11v11) 1 -0.5 1 Spare capacity 55 Stockwood Park Yes South Adult 5 -6.5 4 Spare capacity 55 Stockwood Park Yes South Youth (11v11) 2 -3 2 Spare capacity 55 Stockwood Park Yes South Youth (9v9) 2 -3.5 1.5 Spare capacity 56 Stockwood Park Athletics Centre Yes South Adult 1 -1 1 Spare capacity 63 Wardown Park Yes Central Youth (9v9) 2 -1.5 0.5 Minimal spare capacity at peak time 65 Wigmore Valley Park Yes East Adult 3 -1 1.5 Spare capacity 70 Sacred Heart primary School Yes East Mini (7v7) 1 -3.5 1 Spare capacity 74 Sundon Park Junior School Yes North Mini (7v7) 1 -1.5 1 Spare capacity

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At peak time, most sites expressing potential capacity are actually unavailable and should, therefore not be counted as spare capacity. Of the 59 pitches with spare capacity and available for community use, 47 pitches are available within the peak period (80%). This equates to 94 match equivalent sessions as actual spare capacity per week.

Actual spare capacity has been aggregated up (highlighted as green in the comments column in the table above) by area and by pitch type.

Table 2.10: Actual spare capacity summary

Analysis area Pitches available in the peak period Adult Youth Mini Central 3 3 5 East 5.5 1 3 North 6.5 2.5 3 South 6 3.5 - West 3 - 2 LUTON 24 10 13

Although spare capacity is often as a result of a lack of demand for grass pitches, there are some sites that are likely to retain spare capacity as a matter of practise to allow pitches to rest and rotate.

Actual spare capacity expressed at the following sites is of most concern as there is no play recorded against these sites.

Table 2.11: Sites with one or more pitches that have no recorded play

Site name Analysis area Pitch type No of unused pitches Lea Manor Recreation Ground And Centre North Mini 1 Selsey Drive East Adult 1 Selsey Drive East Youth 1 Raynham Way East Youth 1 Stockwood Park South Youth 1 Lothair Road East Youth 2

Most unused pitches can be found in the East Analysis Area. There are only three pitches within Luton that are available for community use but are unused. The pitches at Selsey Drive are the offsite pitches of Putteridge High School. Although the pitches have no play recorded it is likely that due to the poor quality of the pitches that they are unable to accommodate additional play outside of curricular/extra curricula usage.

In addition, there are five school sites that are identified as being available for community use but are current unused and therefore have no play recorded.

Table 2.12: Primary schools available for community use with no play recorded

Site name Analysis area Pitch type No of unused pitches Barnfield West Academy West Youth 1

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Beechwood Primary School West Youth 1 Farley Junior School South Youth 1 Leagrave Primary School West Mini 1 Chantry Primary Academy West Mini 2

Scenarios

Poor quality

If pitches which are assessed as poor quality (seven adult, two youth and one mini pitches) were unable to be used all the teams currently playing on these pitches could be accommodated (although not necessarily ideal for clubs) on the remaining stock. However, if pitches assessed as standard quality were to become disused there would not be enough actual spare capacity to accommodate this amount of play.

Latent demand

A total of two adult pitches (to accommodate four teams) are identified as latent demand in Luton. Given the small amount of latent demand identified, it could be accommodated on actual spare capacity expressed. Albeit further investigation is required to assess the quality and accessibility of these sites to accommodate the demand expressed.

Future demand

Future demand can be defined in two ways, through participation increases/decreases and using population forecasts. Team generation rates are used below as the basis for calculating the number of teams likely to be generated in the future based on population growth.

Table 2.13: Team generation rates

Age group Current Current Team Future Predicted Additional population no. of Generation population future teams that within age teams Rate within age number may be group group of teams generated from the increased population Senior Mens (16-45) 47,426 81 1:586 54,913 93.8 12.8 Senior Women (16-45) 45,504 5 1:9101 49,115 5.4 0.4 Junior Boys (10-15) 7,953 88 1:90 9,057 100.2 12.2 Junior Girls (10-15) 7,899 8 1:987 8,739 8.9 0.9 Mini-Soccer Mixed (6-9) 11,458 59 1:194 15,104 77.8 18.8

The additional future teams would equate to the need for seven senior, six youth and nine mini pitches. In the current situation, these teams could be accommodated on the current stock. Albeit further investigation is required to assess the quality and accessibility of these sites to accommodate the demand anticipated.

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Overplay

Overplay occurs when there is more play accommodated than the site is able to sustain (which is often dependent upon pitch quality). In summary, 11 sites (containing 14 pitches) are overplayed by a total of 14 matches per week. In all instances the quality of the pitches could be improved to cater for overplay, particularly Alder Crescent Recreation Ground, Foxdell, Wigmore and Lothair Road Recreation Ground which has poor quality pitches.

Table 2.14: Overplay summary

KKP Site name Analysis area Pitch No Capacity ref type pitches rating 2 Alder Crescent Recreation Ground Central Adult 1 0.5 17 Cardinal Newman Secondary School North Adult 1 3.5 17 Cardinal Newman Secondary School North Youth 1 2 22 Crawley Green Recreation Ground East Youth 1 0.5 32 Icknield Way Recreation Ground North Youth 1 1 35 Kingsway Recreation Ground South Adult 1 0.5 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) North Youth 1 1.5 43 Lothair Road Recreation Ground East Youth 1 1 46 Luton Sixth Form College Central Youth 2 0.5 61 Venue 360 South Adult 2 2 71 Someries Junior School East Youth 1 0.5 74 Sundon Park Junior School North Youth 1 0.5

Although some sites with spare capacity could accommodate some play from overused sites, there is a particular need for access to more, better quality pitches to address overplay.

Table 2.15: Overplay summary

Analysis area Overplay (match sessions per week) Adult Youth Mini Central 0.5 0.5 - East - 2 - North 3.5 5 - South 2.5 - - West - - - LUTON 6.5 7.5 0

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2.6: Conclusions

Having considered supply and demand scenarios above, the tables below identify the overall spare capacity in each of the analysis areas for the different pitch types, based on match equivalent sessions.

Table 2.16: Spare capacity of Adult match equivalent sessions per week

Capacity5 Demand (match equivalent sessions) Analysis area Actual spare Overplay Unmet Latent Future Total capacity demand demand demand Central 3 0.5 - - 1 1.5 East 5.5 - - - 1 4.5 North 6.5 3.5 - - 1.5 1.5 South 6 2.5 - - 2.5 1 West 3 - - - 1 2 Luton 24 6.5 - 4 7 6.5

The table above shows that overall in Luton the current spare capacity identified on adult pitches can easily accommodate the over play, latent and future demand identified. All analysis areas have spare match equivalent sessions on adult pitches. Overall there is an oversupply of 6.5 match equivalent sessions or four pitches (based on two matches in the peak period). The spare capacity expressed would not be considered as surplus to requirements as on council sites pitches are rested and rotated where possible in order to maintain pitch quality.

Table 2.17: Spare capacity of Youth match equivalent sessions per week

Capacity Demand (match equivalent sessions) Analysis area Actual spare Overplay Unmet Latent Future Total capacity demand demand demand Central 3 0.5 - - 1.5 -1 East 1 2 - - 2 +1 North 2.5 5 - - 2 +4.5 South 3.5 - - - 0.5 -3 West - - - - 0.5 +0.5 Luton 10 7.5 - - 6.5 -4

The table highlights that overall in Luton there are sufficient youth pitches available. There is spare capacity in Central and South, but a need for additional match equivalent sessions in Luton East, North and West. Overall there is an oversupply of four match equivalent sessions or two pitches (based on two matches in the peak period).

5 In match equivalent sessions

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Table 2.18: Spare capacity of Mini match equivalent sessions per week

Capacity Demand (match equivalent sessions) Analysis area Actual spare Overplay Unmet Latent Future Total capacity demand demand demand Central 5 - - - 3 -2 East 3 - - - 2.5 +0.5 North 3 - - - 1 -2 South ------West 2 - - - 1 -1 Luton 13 - - - 7.5 -5.5

The table above shows that mini provision across Luton is well catered for, both now and for the future. Only Luton East shows a deficit of 0.5 match equivalent sessions. There is an oversupply of 5.5 mini match equivalent sessions across Luton as a whole equating to 3 pitches.

Football – grass pitch summary  The audit identifies a total of 125 football pitches in Luton. Of these, 101 (46 sites) are available, at some level, for community use (although not necessarily used). 74 of the pitches identified are parks pitches.  A total of 240 teams are identified as Luton based team, however, 208 play in Luton. Of these, five teams are playing on 3G pitch provision.  There are no suitable sites in Luton to service Step 5 and above clubs, for example, Crawley Green FC, resulting in displaced demand.  In addition, 32 teams are identified as being from Luton but actually play outside of the Borough. This is primarily thought to be due to a lack of access to good quality pitches.  At peak time, most sites expressing potential capacity are actually unavailable and should, therefore not be counted as spare capacity. Of the 40 pitches with spare capacity and available for community use, 27.5 pitches are available within the peak period (66%). This equates to 53 match equivalent sessions as actual spare capacity.  Overall in Luton there are sufficient adult pitches to accommodate over-play, unmet demand, latent demand and future demand. Overall there is an oversupply of 6.5 match equivalent sessions (4 pitches). No areas are deficient in adult pitches.  Overall in Luton there are sufficient youth pitches to accommodate over-play, unmet demand, latent demand and future demand. However there are slight shortfalls in Luton East, North and West.  Overall in Luton there are sufficient mini pitches to accommodate over-play, unmet demand, latent demand and future demand. Overall there is spare capacity of 5.5 match equivalent sessions (three pitches).

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2.7 Artificial grass pitches (AGPs) for football

Introduction

There are several surface types that fall into the category of artificial grass pitch or AGP. The three main groups are rubber crumb (3G), sand (filled or dressed) and water based.

Competitive football can take place on all 3G surfaces. Only competition up to (but not including) regional standard can take place on a 40mm pile. Football training can take place on sand and water based surfaces but is not the preferred option.

Table 2.17: AGP type and sport suitability

Surface Category Comments Rubber crumb Long pile 3G (65mm with Rugby surface – must comply with IRB type 22 shock pad) Football surface Rubber crumb Medium pile 3G (55-60mm) Preferred football surface Rubber crumb Short pile 3G (40mm) Acceptable surface for some competitive football Sand Sand filled Competitive hockey and football training Sand Sand dressed Preferred hockey surface and suitable for football training Water Water based Preferred hockey surface and suitable for football training if irrigated.

Current provision

The table below provides a list of AGPs which are used for football in Luton, either to accommodate training or competitive play.

Table 2.18: AGPs used for football in Luton

KKP Site name Analysis Size Pitch type ref area 3 Ashcroft High School East Full Size Medium Pile 3G (55-60mm) 6 Barnfield South Academy South Full Size Medium Pile 3G (55-60mm) 8 Barnfield West Academy West Full Size Medium Pile 3G (55-60mm) 24 Denbigh High School Central 7v7 Short Pile 3G (40mm) 386 Lea Manor Recreation North Full Size Medium Pile 3G (55-60mm) Ground And Centre 41 Lealands High School North Half Size Medium Pile 3G (55-60mm) 48 Playfootball (Luton) East 6 x 5v5 Short Pile 3G (40mm) 48 Playfootball (Luton) East 2 x 7v7 Short Pile 3G (40mm) 61 Venue 360 South 4 x 5v5 Medium Pile 3G (55-60mm)

Usage

There are five football teams playing competitively on AGPs in Luton. All of these are adult.

6 The AGP at Lea Manor is not yet complete but is due to be finished early 2014

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In addition, AGPs are in high demand for football training. Peak hours are 6pm – 9pm Tuesday to Thursday and some clubs report that provision is not accessible at this time. In addition to this, however, many clubs report that price is a restricting factor.

Whilst sand based AGPs are not the preferred surfaces for football training some are used to accommodate demand for training. In Luton these pitches are located at Venue 360, Luton 6th Form College and Challney High School for Girls.

Supply and demand analysis

The FA model

The FA considers high quality third generation artificial grass pitches as an essential tool in promoting coach and player development. The FA can support intensive use and as such are great assets for both playing and training. Primarily such facilities have been installed for community use and training, however, are increasingly used for competition which The FA wholly supports.

The FA’s long term ambition is to provide every affiliated team in England the opportunity to train once per week on floodlit 3G surface, together with priority access for every Charter Standard Community Club through a partnership agreement. The FA standard is calculated by using the latest Sport England research ‘AGPs State of the Nation March 2012’ assuming that 51% of AGP usage is by sports clubs when factoring in the number of training slots available per pitch type per hour from 5pm-10pm Monday-Friday and 9am-5pm Saturday and Sundays. It is estimated that one full size AGP can service 60 teams.

On the basis that there are 240 teams playing competitive football in Luton, there is a recommended need for four full size 3G pitches. There are currently four within the Borough.

Local demand

42% of the clubs report demand for access to additional training facilities. The majority of these clubs report demand for access to floodlit 3G pitches. Clubs report that affordability of the facilities is also a key concern inhibiting access for many clubs.

Nationally, it is becoming more common for youth leagues to be played at central venues on 3G AGP provision. However, due mostly to cost clubs are still opting to compete on grass pitches, there is therefore less demand for competitive fixtures to be accommodated on 3G provision in Luton.

Facilities Planning Model (FPM)

The FPM report provides a strategic assessment of the current level of provision for AGPs in Luton. The data used is from the national run as of January 2013. The report should not be considered in isolation and it is recommended that the analysis should form part of a wider assessment of provision at the local level. The FPM indicates eight full size pitches in Luton, however local information shows that there are only seven pitches. This means that any deficiencies are likely to be further increased. Furthermore, three of the seven pitches are sand based and also have significant hockey usage.

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The supply of provision for football is well above the regional and national averages. The population of Luton is estimated to generate demand for about 5834 vpwpp (visits per week in the peak period). The majority of this demand (4587 vpwpp) is thought to be for football. The facility equivalent for this demand is a total of about 7.9 pitches, majority of which would be directed to use for football.

Over 26% of the population are estimated to not have access to a car to access GAPs which is above the national average of 24.9%. The population may therefore be reliant on public transport or walking in order to access AGP provision.

About 86% of demand for all AGP provision in Luton is thought to be met by the supply network included in this modelling. The model estimates that 75% of the resident demand is retained within Luton with 25% of all visits being ‘exported’ to other Local Authority areas. Retained demand within Luton for football is 84%.

The model estimates that 487 vpwpp for football are currently not being met. The vast majority (98%) is attributed to there not being sufficient capacity to accommodate the identified demand. The collective amount of unmet demand for football is equivalent to 0.66 pitches but it should be noted that this is a total for the whole of Luton and it is spread across the whole area.

For football, there are a significant number of visits to be imported from outside of the authority. Indeed 977 vpwpp expressed in Luton or about 20% of used capacity is estimated to be from participants who do not live within the administrative boundary.

Across the whole area of Luton, residents have a relatively poor share for all AGPs with the share for hockey being substantially lower (61) than that for football (91). The areas within Luton which have the lowest relative share are focused around the central area of the town.

The modelling points to there being insufficient available pitch space in Luton to meet demand from both football and hockey. While in proportional terms the potential deficiencies are more significant for hockey, in terms of numbers of users and pitches, the potential deficiencies are greater for football. However, although insufficient capacity is the main reason for unmet demand, the levels of unmet demand for both football and hockey are insufficient for generating a need for a whole AGP so any deficiencies would not appear to be significant. However, the model is worked on eight AGPs but there are currently only seven in Luton.

Potential sites

There are several old-style hard surface pitches in Luton that have the potential to accommodate a new AGP surface due to having the base structure in place. One pitch is located at Lewsey Park and is currently a hard porous surface. There is also a large hard area at Putteridge School which currently has a macadam/polymeric surface that could be upgraded into a 3G or sand based surface. Cardinal Newman School also has a large redgra area that could be converted.

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Commercial football

In recent years there has been a rise in the number of private operators offering football venues for recreational and competitive play. These centres are usually in the form of several adjacent 5/7-a-side AGP cages. This type of football offers an affordable rate that allows people to pay and play. It is a game that fits around people’s lives and does not require the level of commitment that other formats and types of leagues do. For example, people do not have to play at the weekend and do not need to find 11 players. In Luton there are currently two commercial football operations. Playfootball is located to the East of the Borough and Venue 360 is in the South. Playfootball currently has 85 small sided teams registered at the site.

Football – AGP summary  The FA model suggests that there are enough 3G pitches to service current football training demand in Luton. However, local demand suggests that more access is needed to 3G provision, although pricing is also a key factor for clubs.  Currently there is not a high demand for competitive fixtures to be played on 3G pitches in Luton. However, if the quality of grass pitches deteriorates there may be a future increase in demand to play matches on 3G pitches.

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PART 3: CRICKET

3.1: Introduction

The Bedfordshire County Cricket Board is the main governing and representative body for cricket within the County, including Luton. Its aim is to promote the game at all levels through partnerships with professional and recreational cricketing clubs, and other appropriate agencies. Along with Football in Luton, Cricket is regarded as the most popular sport. The season runs from May to September.

The ECB national facility strategy the Champion Counties Strategic Plan 2014 – 2017 will take advantage of local partnerships developed in earlier plans and support local delivery of priorities through the County network. It targets operational excellence to make maximum use of scarce resources and facilities during a time of economic austerity. The targets and implications of this strategy are shown in appendix two.

Within the local context the Bedfordshire County Cricket Board facilities strategy has six objectives:

 Have in place an effective, efficient and economic Grounds Association.  Identify and develop new grounds across Bedfordshire.  Ensure clubs have the information, advice and support to improve and develop grounds and facilities.  Ensure clubs understand what is available and how to access funding for facility and ground improvements.  Ensure that a well maintained grounds trailer and hire process is available to all clubs through the Grounds Association.  Support and assist clubs in securing external funding to improve and enhance facilities or grounds.

Consultation

Face to face consultation was with key cricket clubs; Luton Town & Indians CC, Lutonian CC, Luton Caribbean CC and an electronic survey was also distributed to the remainder by email. Responses were gained from 10 of the 29 clubs playing in Luton equating to 38% response rate. The vast majority of non-responding clubs are one team clubs playing in the Midweek League and/or Beds & Herts Sunday League. However, consultation has been carried out with the leagues. Results are used to inform issues within this section of the report. It is acknowledge that the cricket demand information is not as comprehensive as hoped, however every step was taken to collect the data but due to being out of season it has proved difficult. The implication is that the demand for cricket is potentially understated but nonetheless there is still a deficit of cricket pitches in Luton.

The ECB will be commissioning face to face surveys to capture demand more comprehensively when the season starts in 2014. This may change the quantum of unmet demand but will not affect the strategy direction in relation to cricket.

Any additional information gathered should be integrated into the assessment report and the strategy at the earliest opportunity.

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3.2: Supply

In total, there are 11 cricket pitches located in Luton, including one under sized pitch at Icknield High School.

Table 3.1: Summary of pitches

Analysis area No. of available pitches No. of unavailable pitches North 4 - South 1 - East 4 - West - 1 Central 2 - LUTON 10 1

There are nine Council owned and maintained cricket pitches in Luton that are hired out on a season by season basis. The Council leases one pitch (at Upper Wardown Park) to Luton Town & Indians CC on a long term lease. The lease is for the square, with the outfield still maintained by the Council. The Council hires the remaining pitches out with an equitable split of requests from clubs/leagues. Currently clubs/leagues get approximately 30-40% of the pitch requirements that they ask for.

Lutonian CC (at Lower Wardown Park) has eight fine turf wickets and one artificial wicket. The Club has an arrangement whereby the Council maintains four of the wickets and the Club maintains four.

The cricket pitch at Icknield High School has one grass wicket, however, the outfield is not full size and the pitch is not currently available for community use.

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Figure 3.1: Location of cricket pitches in Luton

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Table 3.2: Key to map of cricket pitches

Site name KKP Analysis Community No. of No. of ref area use pitches grass wickets Crawley Green Recreation Ground 22 East Yes 1 8 Icknield High School 31 North No 1 - Icknield Way Recreation Ground 32 North Yes 1 11 Lancaster Avenue Recreation Ground 36 North Yes 1 12 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) 39 North Yes 2 10+12 Luton Regional Recreation Ground 44 East Yes 3 9+10+10 Upper Wardown Park 60 Central Yes 1 20 Wardown Park (Lower) 63 Central Yes 1 8

The largest number of wickets is provided in the North Analysis Area which has 45 wickets.

Pitch quality

The table below summarises the pitch quality following site visits of cricket pitches. The ECB guidance on assessing pitch quality can be found in appendix five.

Table 3.3: Pitch quality of all pitches

Good Standard Poor 1 11 -

Only one of the cricket pitches in Luton received a ‘good’ quality rating. The remaining pitches were assessed as standard quality.

Pitches generally meet the demands of the clubs and the respective leagues that they play in. However, it is reported that a number of players travel outside of the Borough to access better quality pitches and a higher standard of cricket. Due to the level of pitches (and facilities) in Luton, a significant number of cricketers, predominantly from South Asian Communities, have left Luton to access better facilities in the villages surrounding the Borough. For example, the majority, if not all, of the Saturday and Sunday teams at Eggington Foresters CC are made up of Luton cricketers. This is also the case at other clubs outside of Luton including Houghton Chargers CC and Clifton CC.

Players/teams in Luton are only able to play in leagues up to a certain standard before they need to access better grounds, with better facilities (including good ancillary facilities – pavilion, umpires room, score box, sight screens, etc.), which means that better players then travel outside of Luton to join clubs playing at a higher level, or with better facilities, e.g. Dunstable Town CC. It is estimated by Bedfordshire Cricket Limited that at least 100 Luton cricketers are playing outside of the Borough.

Of responding clubs, 65% rated the overall quality of their pitches as poor. In addition, 77% report that the cricket square is ‘slightly’ or ‘much’ poorer quality than the previous playing season. Main reasons cited by clubs include ‘pitches not being rolled enough’, ‘lack of grass cutting’, ‘vandalism on square’ and ‘pitches not being prepared well enough’. One club playing at Icknield Way report that the ‘pitches are never great but this

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season they have been slightly better’. Other users of Lancaster Avenue and also Icknield Way describe the pitches as ‘brilliant’. Leagrave is considered by one club to be very dangerous to play on.

Many of the cricket outfields are overmarked with football pitches. This not only increases usage but also results in poor quality outfields for cricket which affects player experience. In Luton however parks sites must be multi use and multi-functional due to deficiencies of open space of recreational value to meet both formal and informal needs of the community.

Table 3.4: Pitch quality by site

Good Standard Poor  Upper Wardown Park (Luton  Crawley Green Recreation - Town & Indians Cricket Ground Club)  Icknield High School  Icknield Way Recreation Ground  Lancaster Avenue Recreation Ground  Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) (x2)  Luton Regional Recreation Ground (x3)  Venue 360  Lower Wardown Park

Maintaining high pitch quality is the most important aspect of cricket. If the wicket is poor, it can affect the quality of the game and can, in some instances, become dangerous. To obtain a full technical assessment of wicket and pitches, the ECB recommends a Performance Quality Standard Assessment (PQS). The PSQ looks at a cricket square to ascertain whether the pitch meets the Performance Quality Standards which are benchmarked by the Institute of Groundsmanship. The report identifies surface issues and suggests options for remediation together with likely costs. For further guidance on this, please contact the ECB.

Although the Council’s Annual Price Survey concluded that it is difficult to compare cricket pitch charges (as all councils don’t offer the same range of prices e.g. the midweek league has a different price for evening games which was agreed 20 years ago which is 10% lower than the midweek price stated below for non-league cricketers), the summary below seeks to identify any levels of disparity.

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Table 3.5: Summary of cricket charges

Pitch LBC

type Current

Price B

Albans Regis

2013 £ Mitlon

Keynes

Bedford

Leighton Bradford

St St

Houghton

Dunstable

Barnfields Stevenage

Adult 39.85 - - 57.21 48.90 73.20 - 72.41 38.85 47.40 Day game with 1st class changing Adult 20.25 - - 46.42 - 73.20 - 60.99 38.85 - Evening game with 1st class changing Junior 10.15 - - 29.92 - - - - 15.75 23.70 Day game with 1st class changing

Luton cricket pitch charges are lower than the average cost to hire pitches in the comparable authorities.

On the basis that cricket adult day games are six hours long compared to approximately two hours for a football match, and that a cricket pitch requires more intensive grounds maintenance, the Council could recommend increasing the hire charges to cover these costs.

Ancillary facilities

The changing rooms at Wardown Park (Lower) have recently been refurbished and are good quality and the changing facilities at Lancaster Avenue are also good quality. The kitchen facility at Leagrave Park has also recently been improved.

Luton Town & Indians Cricket Club has recently received funding for the changing facilities at the pavilion.

There is a planning condition in place which requires a new facility to be provided to support the pitches at Luton Regional Recreation Ground following the demolition of the Regional Sports Centre. As well as changing accommodation the facility will provide a kitchen/social area which has previously been unavailable at the site.

Five clubs report incidences of vandalism in the last 12 months. Problems included graffiti and damage to property including broken windows and doors. Three quarters of clubs report some instances of unofficial use of the pitches. Litter, rubbish and dog foul was also highlighted as an issue at some sites.

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Security of tenure

None of the cricket pitches in Luton are privately owned. Only Luton Town & Indians Cricket Club has a long term lease on its pitch at Wardown Park. It also has a ‘part license’ on the pitch at Lancaster Avenue which gives the Club use of the pitch for 30 weekend matches per season. The remainder of available fixtures at that site are split between other clubs.

All other clubs are therefore purely reliant on the use of Luton Council pitches for matches. Lutonian Cricket Club is the main user at Wardown Park (Lower) and would like to take on a long term lease at this site. The Club recently returned to Luton having played outside of Luton for 15 years due to being unable to access a good quality pitch as a home ground.

Luton Caribbean Cricket Club currently plays matches at Leagrave Park. The Club would like to take on a long term lease of this pitch or another pitch close by, however, it currently only has one team and a long term lease at a site may restrict other users. LBC must consider the effects of any lease on the wider issue in relation to deficiencies in open space of recreational value to serve the local community. There is an option also for the Club to move to Crawley Green after one of the teams at the Site folded in 2013.

Clubs often want a home ground that can be used as a base for the Club. This is difficult to accommodate and especially in Luton with the deficiencies in open space of recreational value.

Training

Access to cricket nets is important, particularly for pre-season/winter training. Luton Town & Indians Cricket Club has a three lane training facility on site at Wardown Park. The remaining clubs access training facilities off site. There is an indoor cricket practice facility at Challney High School for Girls.

Just over half of clubs (55%) report additional demand for training facilities. Almost all report the need for artificial practice nets or mobile practice cages.

Artificial wickets

Competitive league play does not take place on artificial wickets but informal games and other social leagues take place, as well as Last Man Stands (LMS) competitions.

There are a total of five artificial wickets in Luton. The pitches at Challney Girls High School, Lewsey Park and Venue 360 are standalone artificial wickets and do not form part of a square with grass wickets. Table 3.6: Location of artificial wickets

KKP ref Site name Analysis area No. of wickets 18 Challney Girls High School West 1 36 Lancaster Avenue Recreation Ground North 1 42 Lewsey Park West 1 61 Venue 360 South 1

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KKP ref Site name Analysis area No. of wickets 63 Wardown Park (Lower) Central 1

The table above shows that none of the sites in the East Analysis Area have artificial wickets. The most artificial wickets are found in the West. The wickets at Lewsey Park and Lower Wardown Park are very well used.

The Lower Wardown Park artificial wicket is located in the middle of the grass wicket which results in damage to the wickets either side of the artificial wicket. The Council is currently considering moving the artificial wicket.

3.3: Demand

The majority of clubs in Luton are single team clubs. Only Luton Town & Indians CC and Lutonian CC have junior teams. Luton Town & Indians CC has seven junior teams and Lutonian CC has one (U12). There are 42 senior teams and eight junior teams in total. There are no women’s teams in Luton.

Table 3.7: Summary of teams by analysis area

Analysis area No. of competitive teams Senior men Senior women Junior North 20 - - South - - - East 15 - - West - - - Central 7 - 8 LUTON 42 - 8

An analysis of match play identifies that peak time demand for cricket pitches is midweek in Luton. This is attributed to the high demand from the Luton & District Midweek League. There is also very high demand from seniors for pitches on Sunday afternoons/evenings.

Junior matches mostly take place on Sunday mornings but also on Saturdays and midweek.

Women’s and girls’ cricket

Women’s and girls’ cricket is a national priority and there is a target to establish two girls’ and one women’s team in every local authority over the next five years. 8-10% of the whole sport plan funding is focused around women and girls and talent I.D.

Currently girls’ participation is limited other than in schools. Bedfordshire County Cricket Board has recently launched a women and girls county cricket initiative. There has been significant interest and it is envisaged that women’s participation in the game will increase, particularly in schools.

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Last Man Stands (LMS)

LMS is the widest reaching amateur cricket league in the world. The game is eight aside T20, played on artificial pitches and lasts about two hours. All eight wickets must be taken to bowl a team out. This format of the game has encouraged more people to play the sport as the game is less formal and is shorter than a full game of cricket and is very popular.

The LMS initiative in Luton has been unsuccessful to date. This is in part due to the artificial wicket in Lewsey Park as a potential venue; however, there were significant problems with vandalism of the wicket there.

Casual usage

All of the Council pitches are open access and located in the Borough’s multifunctional open space provision. There is significant casual usage on the pitches from both a recreational point of view (e.g. dog walkers) but also from informal recreation use such as football and cricket play. There are unaffiliated cricket leagues using the pitches on week days to play matches. These users are not paying to use the pitches but are adding to the wear and tear. This then makes it difficult for the Council to charge other teams.

Leagues

Five main leagues service the Luton Area on Saturdays, Sundays and mid-week. The highest level of competition is the Bedfordshire County League on Sundays and the Saracens League on Saturdays. The majority of the clubs in the Leagues are from the South Asian Communities.

Table 3.8: Summary of the key leagues

League Comments Luton & District The League is structured into three divisions of seven teams. All 21 teams Midweek League are from the Luton area. The League uses a number of pitches across the Borough and is wholly reliant on the Council for cricket provision. All six of the Council owned sites are used by the League on either Tuesday or Thursday evenings. Demand for the League is high for the League and it is reported that additional teams would like to join the league but cannot due to a lack of pitches. Bedfordshire Two clubs from Luton have teams in the County League; Luton Town & County League Indians CC and Lutonian CC. Fixtures are played on Sunday afternoons. The first XI of both clubs play in the Premier Division of the League which means that the cricket pitch and ancillary facilities must meet higher league requirements. The ancillary facilities at Lutonian CC are of a good quality however the cricket square requires some attention to bring it up to standard. Luton Town & Indians CC has a good quality square and has funding in place to upgrade and move the changing facilities. Beds & Herts The Beds & Herts Sunday Cricket League currently has seven teams Sunday Cricket competing in it. All except one is are from Luton. The League has only been League operating for two years and there is already interest from an additional 12 teams. The League is looking to take on five additional teams for the 2014 season to increase the League to 12 (two divisions of six). The League is reliant on council provision and anticipates difficulty in expanding as most pitches are at capacity on Sundays in Luton.

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League Comments South East Four clubs in Luton currently compete in the South East Sunday League. Sunday League The Clubs use various council pitches for fixtures. The League covers a large geographical area and teams travel some distances to participate in fixtures. Luton Hawks CC currently plays in this league as it is unable to be accommodated in the Beds & Herts Sunday Cricket League. Saracens The Saracens League is the only Saturday league which services teams in Hertfordshire Luton. Four teams from Luton Town & Indians CC compete in the League. Cricket League Requirements for the League are strict and clubs must complete facilities reports after every match.

Unmet demand

Unmet demand for team based cricket in Luton comes mostly from the Beds & Herts Sunday Cricket League and from the Luton & District Midweek League. There is demand from five clubs to join the League but currently no additional pitches are available. Clubs were also asked if they had more pitches could they field more teams. The results can be seen in the table below:

Table 3.9: Summary of unmet demand

Club Unmet demand Analysis area Ground requirement Beds & Herts Sunday League 5 teams North 1 Beds & Herts Sunday League 5 teams East 2 Lutonian CC Sunday 3rd XI Central 0.5* Luton Town & Indians CC Sunday 5th XI Central 0.5* Totals 4

*0.5 based on the premise that teams will play fixtures on a home and away basis.

As highlighted in the League Table 3.8 above there is also unmet demand from the Luton & District Midweek League as a waiting list is in operation although not quantified.

Latent demand

Latent demand was also identified by clubs that believe they could potentially expand and have more teams if more pitches were available. The table below summarises this:

Table 3.10: Summary of latent demand

Club Latent demand Analysis area Ground requirement Lutonian CC 2 Junior teams Central 1 Luton Town & Indians CC Junior girls Central 1 Luton Hawks CC 2 Senior, 2 Junior North 1 Luton Haiderys CC 2 Senior East 1 Luton Eagles CC 1 Junior East 1 Totals 5

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Interestingly, the majority of the latent demand identified is for junior teams. Clubs clearly feel that due to capacity issues they are unable to currently produce more teams without access to more pitches.

Both the ECB and clubs report that it is difficult to develop and further expand teams, especially junior sections, without access to more pitches and facilities.

Displaced and imported demand

It is reported that a large number of players travel outside of the Borough to access cricket pitches and a higher standard of play. This is attributed to both a lack of pitches in Luton as well as the quality of some pitches. A significant number of cricketers, predominantly from South Asian Communities, have left Luton to access better facilities in the villages surrounding the Borough. For example, the majority, if not all, of the Saturday and Sunday teams at Eggington Foresters CC are made up of Luton cricketers. This is also the case at other clubs outside of Luton including Houghton Chargers CC and Clifton CC.

Bedfordshire Cricket Board estimates that 100 Luton cricketers are displaced from the Borough. It is difficult to quantify how many of these people are displaced through a lack of facilities in Luton or the ages of these players, however Luton is currently unable to accommodate any of this displaced demand.

It must also be noted that there is some imported demand from clubs outside of Luton accessing Luton leagues, in particular the Luton & District Midweek league. The League is very popular and has a waiting list and because of this it attracts demand from outside of Luton.

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3.4: Capacity analysis

Capacity analysis for cricket is measured on a seasonal rather than weekly basis. This is due to playability (i.e., only one match is generally played per pitch per day at weekends or weekday evening). Wickets are rotated throughout the season to reduce wear and allow repair. Therefore, it is more accurate to assess capacity seasonally rather than weekly. The capacity of a pitch to accommodate matches is driven by the number and quality of wickets. This section presents the current pitch stock available for cricket in Luton. It illustrates the:

 Number of grass and artificial cricket wickets per pitch  Number of competitive matches per season per pitch

To help calculate pitch capacity, the ECB suggests that a good quality wicket should be able to take:

 5 matches per season per grass wicket (adults).  60 matches per season per synthetic wicket (adults).

This information is used to allocate capacity ratings as follows:

Potential capacity Play is below the level the site could sustain At capacity Play matches the level the site can sustain Overused Play exceeds the level the site can sustain

Please note that there are no competitive matches taking place on synthetic wickets in Luton.

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Table 3.11: Cricket pitch capacity

KKP Site name Analysis area Total no. of grass Actual play Capacity Capacity ref wickets (sessions per (sessions per rating season) season) (sessions per season) 22 Crawley Green Recreation Ground East 8 32 40 -8 32 Icknield Way Recreation Ground North 11 56 55 1 36 Lancaster Avenue Recreation Ground North 12 88 60 28 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) - 2 pitches North 10 + 12 115 110 5 44 Stopsley Common (Formerly Luton Regional) - East 9 + 10 + 10 146 145 1 3 pitches 60 Upper Wardown Park (LT&ICC) Central 20 73 100 -27 63 Lower Wardown Park Central 8 50 40 10

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3.5: Supply and demand analysis

Spare capacity

The next step is to ascertain whether or not any identified ‘potential capacity’ can be deemed ‘spare capacity’. There may be situations where, although a site is highlighted as potentially able to accommodate some additional play, this should not be recorded as spare capacity against the site. For example, a site may be managed to regularly operate slightly below full capacity to ensure that it can cater for a number of regular training sessions, or to protect the quality of the site

There are two pitches that express potential spare capacity. The extent of whether this is within the stated peak time is quantified below.

Table 3.12: Actual spare capacity

PPS Site name Analysis No. of Spare Pitches Comments Site area pitches capacity available (sessions in peak per period season) 22 Crawley Green East 1 -8 1 Although spare Recreation Ground capacity has been identified this is due to a team folding and would not be the norm. Therefore no spare capacity at peak time. 60 Upper Wardown Park Central 1 -27 0 No spare capacity at peak time

Although spare capacity is often as a result of a lack of demand for grass pitches, there are some sites that are likely to retain spare capacity as a matter of practise to allow pitches to rest and rotate.

At peak time only the pitch at Crawley Green Recreation Ground has actual spare capacity. The pitch at Upper Wardown has no spare capacity at peak time and cannot therefore be considered as actual spare capacity. One of the teams formerly using the square at Crawley Green folded which meant that there was limited spare capacity but normally there is no spare capacity at the site.

Table 3.13: Actual spare capacity summary

Analysis area Pitches available in the peak period North - South - East - West - Central - LUTON -

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Scenarios

Unmet and latent demand

A need for four pitches is identified through unmet demand in Luton with a further five identified through latent demand. There is no spare capacity identified in Luton which means that none of the unmet or latent demand can be accommodated.

Displaced demand

The reported 100 cricketers that are displaced from Luton could not be accommodated on the current pitch stock.

Future demand

Future demand can be defined in two ways, through participation increases and using population forecasts. Team generation rates are used below as the basis for calculating the number of teams likely to be generated in the future based on population growth.

Table 3.14: Team generation rates

Age group Current Current Team Future Predicted Additional population no. of Generation population future teams that within age teams Rate within age number may be group group of teams generated from the increased population Senior Mens (18-55) 56,694 42 1350 64,751 48.0 6.0 Senior Womens (18-55) 54,829 0 0 58,951 0.0 0.0 Junior Boys (7-17) 15,155 8 1894 17,686 9.3 1.3 Junior Girls (7-17) 14,701 0 0 16,881 0.0 0.0

The additional future teams would equate to the need for six senior and 1.3 junior teams. In the current situation, these teams could not be accommodated on the current stock. Furthermore, approximately half of clubs (55%) plan to increase the number of teams in the future.

Although the TGRs do not generate additional teams for senior women there is likely to be a need to cater for women’s cricket in the future due to the focus by the Beds cricket Board to develop this area.

Overplay

The amount of overplay at cricket sites in Luton is a total of 45 matches across the Borough per season. Overplay occurs when more play is accommodated at a site than it is able to sustain. In summary, five sites are overplayed. The number of pitches required to accommodate overplay would be 2 (based on a cricket square with ten wickets). Current spare capacity cannot accommodate all overplay identified.

On sites assessed lower than ‘good’ the situation of overplay is likely to be exacerbated due to the poorer quality of pitches. Likewise, it has been highlighted that significant informal play takes place at parks sites in Luton. Due to the difficulties in providing robust quantitative data for this type of demand it is likely that the deficiencies identified are greater than stated.

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Table 3.15: Overplay summary

KKP Site name Analysis Pitch No Capacity ref area type pitches rating 32 Icknield Way Recreation Ground North Senior 1 1 36 Lancaster Avenue Recreation North 28 Senior 1 Ground 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) North Senior 2 5 44 Luton Regional Recreation Ground East Senior 3 1 63 Lower Wardown Park Central Senior 1 10

Table 3.15: Overplay summary

Analysis area Overplay (matches per season) Ground equivalents (based on 10 wickets per ground) North 34 0.7 South - - East 1 0.1 West - - Central 10 0.2 LUTON 45 1

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3.6: Conclusions

Having considered supply and demand scenarios above, the table below identifies the overall spare capacity in each of the analysis areas for cricket pitches.

Table 3.15 Capacity of cricket pitches

Capacity Demand (cricket grounds) (grounds) Analysis area Actual spare Overplay Unmet Latent Future Total capacity demand demand demand North - 0.7 1 1 - +2.7 South - - - - - 0 East - 0.1 2 2 - +4.1 West - - - - - 0 Central - 0.2 1 2 - +3.2 LUTON - 1 4 5 6 +16

The table above shows that there is a borough wide shortage of 16 cricket grounds (based on 10 wickets). Considering only over play and unmet demand there is a shortage of five cricket grounds.

Cricket summary  In total, there are 11 cricket pitches provided in Luton, of which only one is unavailable for community use (at Icknield High School which is a junior pitch). Cricket pitches accommodate 42 senior teams and 8 junior teams.  Site assessments scored one pitch as good quality (Luton Town & Indians CC) and the other nine as standard quality.  It is reported that a large number of players (approximately 100) travel outside of the Borough to access cricket pitches and a higher standard of play. This is attributed to both a lack of pitches in Luton as well as a lack of higher quality pitches.  It has been highlighted that significant informal play takes place at parks sites in Luton. Due to the difficulties in providing robust quantitative data for this type of demand it is likely that the deficiencies identified are greater than stated.  Overplay at cricket sites in Luton is a total of 45 matches across the Borough per season. If all overplay was to be relocated to other sites there would be a need for one additional cricket ground (based on a cricket square with 10 wickets).  Unmet demand cannot be accommodated on the current supply of pitches and equates to the need for four additional cricket grounds (based on a square with 10 wickets).  As over play and unmet demand cannot be met due to pitches being at capacity there is no spare capacity to accommodate any latent or future demand which requires an additional 11 pitches (based on a cricket square with 10 wickets).

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PART 4: RUGBY UNION

4.1: Introduction

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body responsible for grassroots and elite rugby in England. The Game in Bedfordshire is administered by East Midlands Rugby Union with a Bedfordshire Alliance that supports the development of rugby union in this particular area. The RFU supports all educational links with clubs including further education (FE) and higher education (HE). The rugby union playing season operates from September to April.

A fulltime regional development officer is responsible for the Bedfordshire region and works closely with all the clubs. This work involves developing club structures, including working towards the RFU Accreditation (Clubmark) and the development of school-club structures.

The recently launched RFU National Facility Strategy 2013-2017 provides a framework for development of high-quality, well-managed facilities that will help to strengthen member clubs and grow the game in communities around them. It identifies that with 470 grass root clubs and 1500 players there is a continuing need to invest in community club facilities. The main priorities are to:

 Increase the provision of changing rooms and clubhouses that can sustain concurrent adult and junior male and female activity at clubs  Improve the quality and quantity of natural turf pitches and floodlighting  Increase the provision of artificial grass pitches that deliver wider game development

The full list of targets and implications of this strategy are shown in appendix two.

Consultation

Two clubs in Luton were met with face to face (Stockwood RFC and Vauxhall RFC), Luton RFC, was consulted via telephone interview. A representative from the University of Bedfordshire RFC was also met with face to face. Results inform the key issues raised within this section of the report.

4.2: Supply

In total, there are 12 senior and two mini rugby pitches located across nine sites in Luton. Of these, nine pitches are available for community use and used. Five senior pitches are currently not available for community use.

Table 4.1: Summary of grass rugby union pitches

Analysis area No. of available pitches No. of unavailable pitches North - 2 South 7 + 2 mini - East - 2 West - - Central - 1 LUTON 9 5

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NB: The audit only identifies dedicated, line marked pitches. For rugby union pitch dimension sizes please refer to the RFU guidelines; ‘Grass Pitches for Rugby’ at www.rfu.com

All pitches available for community use are located in the South Analysis Area. No other area is serviced with pitches that are currently available for community use. The West Analysis Area does not have any pitches at all.

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Figure 4.1: Location of rugby union pitches in Luton

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Table 4.2: Key to map

KKP Site name Analysis area Community No. of No. of ref use senior mini/ category pitches midi pitches 46 Luton 6th Form College7 Central Unavailable 1 - 61 Venue 360 South Yes used 1 - 55 Stockwood Park South Yes used 1 - 58 Stockwood Park RFC South Yes used 2 - 3 Ashcroft High School East Unavailable 1 - 17 Cardinal Newman Secondary North Unavailable 1 - School 75 Stopsley High School East Unavailable 1 - 31 Icknield High School North Unavailable 1 - 45 Luton RFC South Yes used 3 2

Ownership/management

Stockwood Park RFC has a long term lease on two pitches and the clubhouse and licenses the other pitch, all from the Council. It reports that if it could get planning permission for floodlighting on the rented pitches it would also take those on a long term lease.

Vauxhall RFC hires the pitch at Venue 360 on a weekly basis and Luton RFC owns its site. The Club often gets approached by developers for sale of a small area of land adjoining the site. However, it is keen to retain this as club land.

The University does not have any grass provision of its own. The men’s teams use the pitches at Stockwood Park and the women’s team, which has previously used Venue 360, will play at Luton RFC from next season.

Pitch quality

The methodology for assessing rugby pitch quality looks at two key elements; the maintenance programme and the level of drainage. Each is scored and classified in one of three categories. These represent actions required to improve pitch quality. A breakdown for each of the two scoring elements and three respective categories is provided.

Table 4.3: Definition of maintenance categories

Category Definition M0 Action is significant improvements to maintenance programme M1 Action is minor improvements to maintenance programme M2 Action is no improvements to maintenance programme

7 Despite a formal community use agreement in place covering the pitches at Luton Sixth Form College they are not currently available for community use.

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Table 4.4: Definition of drainage categories

Category Definition D0 Action is pipe drainage system is needed on pitch D1 Action is slit drainage is needed on pitch D2 No action is needed on pitch drainage

Site assessments show that four pitches in Luton are D1/M1 i.e. requiring only minor improvements to maintenance and drainage. Six pitches are D1/M2 (action- slit drainage is needed). Four pitches are D0/M1 which suggests that significant improvements are needed to drainage and minor improvements to maintenance are needed.

Table 4.5: Pitch assessments following site visits

Rugby pitches D0 D1 D2 M0 - - - M1 4 4 - M2 - 6 -

D0/M1 D1/M1 D1/M2  Cardinal Newman (Senior)  Ashcroft High School  Luton RFC (Mini x2)  Icknield High School (Senior)  Luton RFC (Senior x3) th (Senior)  Luton 6 Form (Senior)  Venue 360 (Senior)  Stockwood Park (Senior)  Stockwood Park RFC  Stopsley High School (Senior x2) (Senior)

The pitch assessment scores can be translated to provide an overall pitch quality rating and these can be seen in the table below:

Table 4.6: Pitch assessments following site visits

Maintenance Poor (M0) Adequate (M1) Good (M2)

Natural Inadequate (D0) Poor Poor Standard

Natural Adequate or Pipe Drained (D1) Poor Standard Good

Drainage Pipe and Slit Drained (D2) Standard Standard Good

Table 4.7: Pitch quality assessments of community use pitches following site visits

Senior pitches Junior pitches Mini pitches Good Standard Poor Good Standard Poor Good Standard Poor 4 4 4 - - - 2 - -

For senior and two mini pitches are assessed as good quality and four senior pitches are assessed as standard. Of the four pitches assessed as poor quality three are located on school sites and one is located at Stockwood Park. Poor drainage is the reason for the pitches being assessed as poor quality. It should be noted that Stockwood Park is in an area of County Wildlife Site designation and of considerable archaeological interest. This

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may reduce options for improvement, e.g. new pipe drainage systems may require an archaeological survey.

Ancillary facilities

All clubs in Luton have access to changing room provision for home games. No significant issues were raised with regard to the quality of pavilions. However, Luton RFC is keen to make further use of its clubhouse facility and is, for example, in discussion with a Gaelic football club over this.

4.3: Demand

Demand for rugby pitches in Luton tends to fall within the categories of organised competitive play, organised training and casual use.

Competitive play

Four rugby union clubs operate in Luton providing a total of 26 teams. This includes the University of Bedfordshire (Luton Campus) which plays at Stockwood Park RFC and Venue 360. Two men’s and one woman’s team play from the Luton Campus at Stockwood Park RFC. The University has a further two men’s and one women’s team playing at the Bedford Campus which is outside

Table 4.8: Summary of demand by analysis area

Analysis area No. of competitive rugby union teams Senior Youth Mini North - - - South 14 4 8 East - - - West - - - Central - - - LUTON 14 4 8

In addition, University of Bedfordshire RFC are joining forces with Luton RFC to create a women’s Sunday team from next season.

Training

All training takes place on grass pitches in Luton; there is no dedicated International Rugby Board (IRB) pitch. Training on the pitches adds to the wear and tear and impacts on the quality and carrying capacity of pitches.

Another issue for clubs is a lack of quality floodlighting for training provision. Most clubs have some form of floodlights but are not sufficient to satisfy all training needs. For example, at Stockwood Park only one of the four pitches is floodlit which means that all training has to take place on the same pitch and cannot be spread across all pitches.

Unmet demand

Unmet demand is existing demand that is not getting access to pitches. It is usually expressed, for example, where a team is already training but is unable to access a match

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pitch or where a league has a waiting list due to a lack of pitch provision. There is no unmet demand identified in Luton for rugby union.

Displaced demand

Displaced demand generally relates to play by teams or other users of playing pitches from within the study area which takes place outside the area. There is no displaced demand identified in Luton for rugby union.

Latent demand

Clubs were asked that if they had more pitches would they have more teams. None of the teams in Luton stated that they would.

4.4: Capacity analysis

The capacity for pitches to regularly accommodate competitive play, training and other activity over a season is most often determined by quality. As a minimum, the quality, and therefore the capacity, of a pitch affect the playing experience and people’s enjoyment of playing rugby. In extreme circumstances it can result in the inability of the pitch to cater for all or certain types of play during peak and off peak times. To enable an accurate supply and demand assessment of rugby pitches, the following assumptions are applied to site by site analysis:

 All sites that are used for competitive rugby matches (regardless of whether this is secured community use) are included on the supply side.  All competitive play is on senior sized pitches (except for where mini pitches are provided).  From U13 upwards, teams play 15 v15 and use a full pitch.  Mini teams (U7-12) play on half of a senior pitch i.e. two teams per senior pitch.  For senior and youth teams the current level of play per week is set at 0.5 for each match played based on all teams operating on a traditional home and away basis (assumes half of matches will be played away).  For mini teams, play per week is set at 0.25 for each match played based on all teams operating on a traditional home and away basis and playing across half of one adult team.  The majority of male adult club rugby takes place on a Saturday afternoons. There are some exceptions such as university play which takes place on Wednesdays.  All U13-18 rugby takes place on a Sunday morning.  Training that takes place on club pitches is reflected by the addition of team equivalents.  Team equivalents have been calculated on the basis that 30 players (two teams) train on the pitch for 90 minutes (team equivalent of one) per night.

As a guide, the RFU has set a standard number of matches that each pitch should be able to accommodate. Capacity is based upon a basic assessment of the drainage system and maintenance programme ascertained through a combination of the quality assessment and the club survey as follows:

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Table 4.9: Pitch capacity based on quality assessments

Maintenance Poor (M0) Standard (M1) Good (M2)

Natural Inadequate (D0) 0.5 1.5 2.0

Natural Adequate or Pipe Drained (D1) 1.5 2.0 3.0

Drainage Pipe and Slit Drained (D2) 2.0 3.0 3.5

This guide should only be used as a very general measure of potential pitch capacity and does not account for specific circumstances at time of use and assumes average rainfall and an appropriate end of season rest and renovation programme.

The figures are based upon a pipe drained system at 5m centres that has been installed in the last eight years and a slit drained system at 1m centres completed in the last 5 years.

The peak period

In order to fully establish actual spare capacity, the peak period needs to be established. As detailed earlier, peak time access of senior rugby union pitches in Luton is Saturday pm although there is also significant use on Sundays (youth teams playing on senior pitches) and Midweek (University matches). Peak time access of mini rugby union pitches in Sunday am.

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Table 4.10: Rugby union provision and level of community use

PPS Site name Security Analysis Pitch Agreed No. of Match Site Capacity Comments Site of tenure area type quality pitches equivalent capacity rating ID rating sessions (sessions (per week) per week) 45 Luton RFC Secured South Senior Good 2 3 7 -4 There is no spare capacity M2/D1 at peak time (Saturday). However, pitches will accommodate a new women’s Sunday team as of next season. 45 Luton RFC Secured South Mini Good 3 11 9.5 1.5 These pitches are M2/D1 overplayed due to the amount of usage accommodated. 55 Stockwood Park Unsecured South Senior Poor 1 5.5 1.5 4 These pitches are M1/D0 overplayed due to poor pitch quality. 58 Stockwood Park Secured South Senior Standard 2 9 4 5 These pitches are RFC M1/D1 overplayed due to the amount of training being accommodated. 61 Venue 360 Unsecured South Senior Good 1 3.5 3 0.5 These pitches are M2/D1 overplayed due to the amount of training being accommodated.

Where junior play takes place on adult pitches this has been added to calculate the actual play on sites. Team equivalents for training sessions taking place on match pitches have also been added.

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4.5: Supply and demand analysis

Spare capacity

Although the senior pitches at Luton RFC are identified as having spare capacity, there is no actual spare capacity for these pitches to be used in the peak period. Improving pitch quality may go some way towards increasing capacity. However, in the longer term new pitches will be required to meet demand expressed or increasing access to currently unused school sites which will also require quality improvements to be made.

Overplay

Pitches in Luton are overplayed by a total of 9.5 matches per week. Overplay is predominately due to the shear amount of usage being accommodated on the pitches, most commonly training on match pitches. Only Stockwood Park senior pitches are overplayed due to poor quality pitches (although training on the pitches is also a factor).

Scenarios

Future demand

Future demand can be defined in two ways, through participation increases and using population forecasts. Team generation rates are used below as the basis for calculating the number of teams likely to be generated in the future based on population growth.

Table 4.11: Team generation rates

Age group Current Current Team Future Predicted Additional population no. of Generation population future teams that within age teams Rate within age number may be group group of teams generated from the increased population Senior Mens (19-45) 43,323 12 1:3,610 50,706 14 2.0 Senior Women (19-45) 41,490 2 1:20,745 45,166 2.2 0.2 Junior Boys (13-18) 8,104 4 1:2,026 8,594 4.2 0.2 Mini rugby mixed (7-12) 16,481 8 1:2,060 20,615 10 2.0

The additional future teams would equate to the need for access to one senior and one mini pitch. As there is only limited spare capacity on existing pitches to accommodate this demand, access to new pitches would need to be secured.

One new women’s team is in the progress of being created at Luton RFC and will be accommodated on spare capacity expressed at the site as of next season.

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4.6: Conclusions

Having considered supply and demand scenarios above, the tables below identify the overall spare capacity in each of the analysis areas for the different pitch types, based on match equivalent sessions.

Table 4.13: Capacity of senior match equivalent sessions per week

Capacity8 Demand (match equivalent sessions) Analysis area Actual spare Overplay Unmet Latent Future Total capacity demand demand demand North - - - - - 0 South - 9.5 - - 1 +10.5 East - - - - - 0 West - - - - - 0 Central - - - - - 0 LUTON - 9.5 - - 1 +10.5

The table above shows that overall in Luton there is an additional need to accommodate 10.5 match equivalents which equates to six pitches (based on two matches in the peak period). All of the over play and future demand exists in the South Analysis Area.

The over play identified can be attributed to training sessions taking place on match pitches.

Table 2.14: Capacity of mini/midi match equivalent sessions per week

Capacity Demand (match equivalent sessions) Analysis area Actual spare Overplay Unmet Latent Future Total capacity demand demand demand North - - - - - 0 South - 1.5 - - 1 +2.5 East - - - - - 0 West - - - - - 0 Central - - - - - 0 LUTON - 1.5 - - 1 +2.5

The table highlights that there is a small deficit in pitches across Luton to provide a total of 2.5 match equivalent sessions. This would equate to the need for two additional mini/midi pitches.

8 In match equivalent sessions

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Rugby union summary  In total, there are 12 senior and two mini rugby pitches located across nine sites in Luton. Of these, nine pitches are available for community use and used.  Those pitches that are unavailable for community use are located on school sites. The poor quality (drainage) is a significant factor in these pitches not being available to use.  Club pitches are generally of an adequate or good quality. Only the senior pitch at Stockwood Park is assessed as poor quality.  All training takes place on grass pitches in Luton; there is no dedicated IRB pitch. Training on the pitches adds to the wear and tear and impacts on the quality and carrying capacity. A related issue is a lack of floodlighting for training provision.  Due to the large amount of demand for training there is a need for an IRB compliant AGP. This would be best placed in the South Analysis Area.  There is no reported, unmet, displaced or latent demand for rugby pitches in Luton.  There is no peak time spare capacity for usage of pitches. However, one new women’s team will be accommodated on spare Sunday capacity at Luton RFC next season.  Overplay (of 9.5 matches per week) is due to the amount of training usage being accommodated on match pitches.  Increasing the quality of the senior pitch at Stockwood Park would help to increase capacity. However, it should be noted that Stockwood Park is in an area of County Wildlife Site designation and of considerable archaeological interest. This may reduce options for improvement, e.g. new pipe drainage systems may require an archaeological survey.  Future demand resulting from population growth equates to the need for access to one senior and one mini pitch.

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PART 5: HOCKEY

5.1: Introduction

Governance of the sport is devolved by England Hockey (EH) at a regional and local level to regional and county associations. The game is played predominantly on sand based/filled AGPs. Competitive play cannot take place on third generation turf pitches (3G) although 40mm pitches may be suitable, in some instances, for beginner training and are preferred to poor grass or tarmac surfaces.

Consultation

There are five hockey clubs based in Luton including the University of Bedfordshire Hockey Club (Luton Campus). Face to face consultation or online surveys were completed by four of the five clubs equating to an 80% response rate. Vauxhall Men’s Club (one team) did not respond to the survey. Results were used to inform key issues within this section of the report.

5.2: Supply

There are currently four full sized sand based AGPs in Luton. Provision is spread throughout the Borough, with one pitch in each of the analysis areas except for the East Area.

Table 5.1: Key to AGP location map

KKP Site name Analysis area Pitch size No. of Floodlighting reference AGPs 18 Challney Girls School West Full size 1 Yes 38 Lea Manor Rec Centre North Full size 1 Yes 46 Luton 6th Form College Central Full size 1 No 61 Venue 360 South Full size 1 Yes

Funding is in place to convert the pitch at Lea Manor into a 3G surface. This is likely to take place late 2013 or early 2014.

The 3G AGPs at Barnfield South and Barnfield West Academies were designed with a 40mm surface to be used for hockey. In reality the pitches have the potential to be used for hockey training but would not be the preferred surface for matches. Furthermore, the leagues may prohibit teams from playing matches on 3G pitches.

Neighbouring authorities

There is a sand based AGP at Dunstable Leisure Centre which is very close to the boundary with Luton. Currently no hockey teams are accessing the pitch as there are no clubs in the Dunstable area that could use it.

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Figure 5.1: Location of full size sand based AGPs in Luton

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Ownership/management

Two of the four sand based AGPs in Luton are located at education sites; Luton 6th Form College and Challney Girls School. Venue 360 is a privately managed site located in South Ward and Lea Manor Recreation Centre is located on the School site but managed by Active Luton.

5.3: Demand

Demand for hockey pitches in Luton tends to fall within the categories of organised competitive play and organised training.

Competitive play

In total, five clubs play competitive fixtures in Luton, fielding a total of 21 teams. All senior play takes place on Saturdays, with the exception of University fixtures which are played on Wednesdays, and the majority of junior play takes place on Sundays.

Table 5.2: Competitive hockey teams playing in Luton

Name of club No. of competitive teams playing on Membership trends AGPs in Luton over previous three Senior Senior Vets Juniors years men women Luton Hockey Club 4 3 - 4 Membership has reduced over the previous three years, attributed mainly to economic climate. Chiltern Ladies Hockey - 3 1 - Membership has Club remained static. Luton Vagrants Hockey 1 - - - Membership has Club remained static. Vauxhall Men’s Hockey 1 - - - Membership has Club remained static. University of 2 2 - - Membership has Bedfordshire (Luton) remained static. Total number of teams 8 8 1 4

Unmet demand

No unmet demand for hockey was identified in Luton, i.e. no extra teams could be fielded currently but clubs did report significant latent demand as identified below.

Latent demand

Chiltern Ladies Hockey Club reports that if there was more access to AGPs it could have more teams. It would like to develop a college team in conjunction with Luton 6th Form College which would then strengthen the Club as well as provide a 16-18 girls team for the College. Luton Vagrants Hockey Club would also like to link with Luton 6th Form College to develop a second men’s team.

Luton Town Hockey Club also reports that the 6-13 age groups could increase with more access to pitches. The Club also believes that the number of senior teams could increase if more pitch time was made available.

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Displaced and imported demand

All demand from Luton teams is currently being accommodated within the Luton Borough Area. There is also imported demand from Harpenden Hockey Club which runs eight senior teams plus junior teams. All five of the clubs senior men’s teams play home matches at venue 360.

Training

Both Luton Town Hockey Club and Chiltern Ladies would like additional access to training. Luton Club reports that an additional three, or four, hours is required, whilst Chiltern Ladies reports the need for an extra hour and a half to accommodate all training requirements.

Luton Vagrants Hockey Club does not currently train. This is a Club decision and not a facilities issue, however, if the Club increases its membership and develops a second team there is the possibility that it would then want to begin training sessions and would need additional access to pitches.

5.4: Usage

The following table summarises the availability of full size AGPs for community use in Luton. In addition, it records the availability of provision within the peak period. Sport England’s Facilities Planning Model (FPM) applies an overall peak period for AGPs of 34 hours a week (Monday to Thursday 17:00-21:00; Friday 17:00-19:00; Saturday and Sunday 09:00-17:00).

Table 5.3: Community opening times of full size sand AGPs

Site Community use Hours Quality Comments name hours available in the peak period9 Challney Mon-Fri 6pm-10pm 21 Good Luton Town Hockey Club uses the Girls Sat 9-5pm pitch all day on Saturdays and for School training Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays. There is spare capacity at the site to accommodate additional training but not matches. Luton Town are the only hockey users at the site. Lea Manor Mon-Fri 6am-9am 29 Poor Currently the pitch is only used for Rec Centre Mon-Fri 6pm-11pm hockey internally; all external lets are Weekend 8am-5pm for football. The pitch is due to be converted to 3G in 2013/2014. Site Community use Hours Quality Comments name hours available in the peak period10 th Luton 6 Mon-Fri 5-10pm 34 Good The college is used by Chiltern Ladies Form Weekend 9-5pm Hockey Club and also Luton Vagrants College Hockey Club for matches. The University of Bedfordshire also uses

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Site Community use Hours Quality Comments name hours available in the peak period9 the pitch on Wednesday for fixtures. There is limited spare capacity on Saturdays, but additional capacity for week day training. However, due to a lack of floodlighting the pitch cannot be used for evening training or late Saturday matches in the winter. Venue 360 Mon-Sun 8am-11pm 34 Poor Vauxhall Men’s hockey club use the pitch for matches on Saturdays. The University of Bedfordshire also uses the pitch on occasions for Wednesday fixtures. Chiltern Ladies also use the pitch for training. There is spare capacity mid-week. All five senior men’s’ teams of Harpenden HC use the pitch for fixtures on Saturdays as there is no pitch in Harpenden. The pitch will need to be refurbished in the near future.

The table highlights that there is sufficient availability of pitches within Luton to accommodate current demand. Challney Girls School, however, is at capacity on Saturdays.

Venue 360 has significant spare capacity but the quality of the pitch is very poor and is not considered fit for purpose, particularly for matches. However, it is the only floodlit venue currently available to clubs (other than Luton Town Hockey Club which has sole use of Challney Girls School).

Lea Manor will be resurfaced as a 3G pitch in the near future and will be unsuitable for competitive club hockey (although the intention is that school hockey will still be accommodated). Therefore there will only be two pitches in Luton suitable for competitive hockey matches and training. In addition, Luton 6th Form College does not have floodlighting which further reduces capacity for evening training during the winter.

5.5: Quality

Of the current supply of hockey pitches in Luton two are assessed as good quality and two as poor.

Despite being assessed as poor quality, teams continue to access the pitch at Venue 360, especially for training, as it is floodlit. The main user for evening training is Chiltern Ladies Hockey Club; it reports that it may look for a site outside of Luton for training, due to poor quality and increasing prices. Users describe the pitch as unsafe. Luton 6th Form College is assessed as good quality, however, the pitch does not have all appropriate hockey markings; for example, the five mete line around the ‘D’ is missing.

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Ancillary Facilities

Changing facilities are provided at all sites and are reported to be adequate, however, clubhouse facilities with a kitchen and bar must be accessed away from the pitch venue, in some cases (Luton Vagrants Hockey Club) a local pub is used as a venue to provide post- match ‘teas’. Luton Town Hockey Club uses Kent’s Athletics Club.

Currently in Luton there are is no site which incorporates a good quality pitch, spectator area, floodlights and clubhouse facilities. Luton Town Hockey Club, for example, reports moving clubhouses three times in the previous four years.

Sport England Facilities Planning Model (FPM)

The FPM is a model used as a starting point to help assess the strategic provision of sports facilities, including AGPs. The Model is prescriptive and not predictive in that it does not provide precise estimates of the use of proposed facilities. Rather it prescribes an appropriate level of provision for any defined area in relation to demand and which reflects national expectations and policies. It is not a substitute for considering local club needs and should be used alongside any local assessment.

Sport England’s FPM shows that the supply of hockey pitches (0.1) per 1,000 population is much lower than the national average of 0.24 pitches. Over 26% of the population in Luton do not have access to a car which is higher than the national average of 24.9%. This means that in Luton people may be more reliant on public transport.

FPM Supply and demand balance

When looking at a simplistic picture of the overall supply and demand across Luton, the resident population is estimated to generate a demand for 7.9 AGPs (all surfaces). This compares to a current available supply of 6.4 pitches, giving a supply/demand balance of - 1.49 pitches.

The global supply and demand balance for hockey is perceived to be 1.14 pitches below the level needed to satisfy demand.

About 86% of demand for all AGP provision in Luton is thought to be met by the supply network included in the modelling. This is above the regional average of 83% and higher than the national average of 81%. The satisfied demand level for football is higher at about 89% and the level for hockey below at 72.5%.

The model estimates that 75% of the resident demand is retained within Luton with 25% of all visits being ‘exported’ to other local authority areas. There are some major disparities between the level of retained demand for football and hockey.

Retained demand for football within Luton is 84% while for hockey it is significantly lower at only 33% which results in the model estimating that 67% of hockey demand is met outside of Luton.

Overall, the model estimates that 27.5% of demand for hockey is unmet in Luton. Given the apparent poor supply of AGP space for hockey the majority of hockey demand that is unmet can be attributed to the lack of capacity at existing pitches.

The collective amount of unmet demand for hockey is equivalent to 0.46 pitches. With reference to the unmet demand map for hockey, there are no single locations that could

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meet a significant proportion of the unmet demand and there are no particular concentrations within the Borough.

In terms of aggregated unmet demand, the map shows that a number of locations could meet a demand equivalent to around one pitch and that these are focused to the south and west of Luton.

The modelling points to there being insufficient pitch space in Luton to meet demand from both football and hockey. While in proportional items the potential deficiencies are more significant for hockey, in terms of numbers of users and pitches, the potential deficiencies are greater for football.

5.6: Supply and demand analysis

Scenarios

Latent demand

Luton clubs identified latent demand for approximately three senior and three junior teams. This demand could not be met on the current supply of pitches with the current standard of quality.

Future demand

Team generation rates are used below as the basis for calculating the number of teams likely to be generated in the future based on population growth.

Table 5.4: Team generation rates

Age group Current Current Team Future Predicted Additional population no. of Generation population future teams that within age teams Rate within age number may be group group of teams generated from the increased population Senior Mens (16-45) 47,426 9 5270 54,913 10.4 1.4 Senior Womens (16-45) 45,504 8 5688 49,115 8.6 0.6 Juniors (11-15) 13,222 8 3306 14,602 8.9 0.9

Hockey summary

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 In total, five clubs play competitive fixtures in Luton, fielding a total of 21 teams.  There are four full sized sand based AGPs suitable to accommodate competitive hockey. Of these, three are floodlit and all are available for community use.  One (floodlit) pitch at Lea Manor is imminently due to be converted into a 3G surface.  Two pitches are assessed as good quality and two as poor quality (including Lea Manor).  The lack of floodlights at Luton 6th Form AGP reduces capacity for winter training; therefore, clubs which play competitive fixtures there must train at Venue 360, which is assessed as poor quality.  Luton Town Hockey Club is the only hockey user of Challney Girls School AGP; however, there is spare capacity for training in the evenings.  Ancillary facilities are highlighted as a problem for clubs as all clubs must travel off site, away from the pitch, to access clubhouse facilities.  No unmet demand was identified in Luton, however, latent demand for three senior and three junior teams was reported. The current supply of pitches could not accommodate this demand for both training and matches due to poor quality (at Venue 360) and lack of floodlighting (Luton 6th Form College).

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PART 6: BOWLS

6.1: Introduction

All bowling greens in Luton are flat greens. Bowls England is the governing body with overall responsibility for ensuring effective governance of flat green bowls. The bowling season runs from May to September.

Consultation

There are eight clubs using bowling greens in Luton. Of these, seven replied to the survey equating to a response rate of 88%.

6.2: Supply

There are ten bowling greens in Luton provided across nine sites. Of these, the majority are provided by the Council (six greens on five sites). There are four private bowls clubs; Luton Town Bowls Club, Co-op Luton Bowls Club and Beech Hill Bowls Club. Each private site has one green.

Table 6.1: Summary of the number of greens by analysis area

Analysis area Number of greens North 2 South 2 East 2 West 1 Central 3 LUTON 10

Bowling green distribution is relatively evenly spread throughout Luton. All areas are provided with at least one bowling green. Greens tend to be located around areas of high population.

All sites have one green except for Wardown Park which has two greens. One of the greens here is used by the Bowls Club for practice and competitions and one is regarded as a public recreational green, however the public can use the competitions green mid-week when there are no fixtures.

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Figure 6.1: Distribution of bowling greens across Luton

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Table 6.2: Key to map

KKP Site Analysis area Number Ownership reference of greens 4 Ashcroft Road Recreation Ground East 1 LBC 9 Beech Hill Bowling Club South 1 Private 21 Co-Op Luton Bowls Club East 1 Private 34 Kent Athletic Bowls club West 1 Private 36 Lancaster Avenue Recreation Ground North 1 LBC 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) North 1 LBC 47 Memorial Park South 1 LBC 63 Wardown Park Central 2 LBC 67 Luton Town Bowls Club Central 1 Private

Management and maintenance

There are four privately owned sites in Luton which are managed and maintained by the respective clubs.

There is a mixture of management arrangements on the council bowling greens. Some have a lease/license arrangement whereby the pavilion and/or green is leased to a club for a number of years.

Clubs playing at the other greens pay11 £10.30 for green hire and £10.30 for pavilion hire (full day) on competition days. Luton West End Bowls Club reports that this way of charging makes access to the greens, on any day, but particularly competition days, too expensive, which discourages members form practicing. The Club reports that it would be better if there was a fixed fee paid and then unlimited use of the green.

All council greens offer pay and play and two rinks should always be available for public use, except for when competitions are on. Current charges for pay and play are £36.40 for a season ticket or £1.90 per session. At Wardown Park there are two greens, one of which is a public green for recreational use.

The Council’s Annual Price Survey concluded that bowls prices are not comparable as every local authority has a different arrangement based on usually club rather than individual usage and no two clubs/sites set-ups are the same. Bowls prices were, however, addressed in 2011 for the 2012/13 scale of charges and as a result of that exercise the charges levied on bowls clubs which represent 90% of users increased substantially (green fees by 33% plus a new building hire fee for those not already paying a ground rent etc); plus a new season ticket was introduced for members of associations which are not in clubs; and a per session ticket for a handful of other casual bowlers.

All council greens are maintained by the Council at a cost of approximately £6,000 per green.

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Quality

All greens in Luton are assessed as good quality. In terms of the views from clubs, only one club (Luton West End Bowls Club) reports that the green was slightly poorer than the previous year. This was attributed to less available time from the green keepers (reduced human resources) and a faulty watering system. Wardown Park Bowls Club reports that the quality of the green was much better than the previous year due to better maintenance and good weather. No difference in quality was reported at the other greens. Quality is better at private greens in comparison to council greens due to a dedicated full time paid grounds person carrying out the maintenance, including at weekends. Membership costs at private greens are much higher than at council sites.

Two clubs playing at council greens report some form of vandalism in the last year. Lancaster Avenue Bowls Club report low level vandalism such as stones being thrown, fences broken and hose pipe used to flood the green. Luton West End Bowls Club also reports youths playing football on the green. This damage contributes to a decrease in quality. Two private clubs (Kent Athletic Bowls Club and Beech Hill Bowls Club) also report vandalism in the previous two years. The changing rooms were broken in to at Kent Athletic and lots of the equipment was stolen. At Beech Hill, a fence was put up around the site but was vandalised and broken.

6.3: Demand

Clubs

There are eight clubs using bowling greens in Luton. The analysis below summarises information gathered from consultation with bowls clubs playing in Luton (seven replied, equating to an 88% response rate).

 The average playing membership per club is 40.  The level of membership varies from 28 to 50 members.  Lancaster Avenue Bowls Club and Co-op Luton Bowls Club have the largest membership with 50 members each. The smallest club is Kent Athletic Bowls Club with 28 members.  The majority of players travel between two to five miles to play at their home green.

The majority of clubs suggest that an additional bowling green at their home green or in the area would not lead to an increase in club membership.

Junior participation is low in Luton and none of the clubs report having junior members. Several clubs report that they would like to recruit juniors but find it difficult to engage with young people and get them interested in the game. Luton West End Bowls Club is developing a strategy to introduce the game to school children in the area; the Club has two coaches to achieve this.

All clubs report having plans to increase the playing membership, however, this was not quantified.

Current demand

Analysis of club membership shows that demand has generally remained constant over the previous three years. Only two clubs (Ashcroft Bowls Club and Lancaster Avenue Bowls Club) report a decrease in the number of members. Two clubs (Luton West End Bowls Club and Beech Hill Bowls Club) report an increase in the number of members. The remaining

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clubs have remained static in membership. There is a general issue with older members not being replaced by younger players; most are aging teams.

Latent demand

Clubs were asked that if more bowling greens were available would they have more teams. None of the clubs report that they would have more teams if there were more greens.

However, Luton West End Bowls Club suggests that if ancillary facilities were improved it would have more teams. It reports that having a suitably adapted wheelchair to improve disabled access onto the green would increase membership and also a bar facility for match days. Wardown Park Bowls Club also reports demand for an adapted wheelchair to improve green accessibility as does Sunlow Bowling Club based at Leagrave Park.

6.4: Capacity analysis

Capacity is very much dependent on the leagues and the day that they operate. A green may have no spare capacity on an afternoon/evening when a popular league is operating but may be empty for the rest of the week.

Generally, through consultation, it is considered that there is some spare capacity on the majority of bowling greens in Luton, even at peak times (when leagues are operating). Some greens do have extensive use but equally some have very little use. Unlike other local authorities, that tend to have more than one club playing on one green, Luton greens tend to be home to only one club.

The national governing body indicates that approximately 60 members are needed to sustain one green. Using this as a guide the table below (table 7.5) looks at the capacity of bowling greens in Luton based upon club membership. A green with 60 members is considered to be at capacity.12

Under capacity Membership is below the level the site could sustain At capacity Membership matches the level the site can sustain Over capcity Membership exceeds the level the site can sustain

12 It should be noted that some greens may be at capacity with fewer than 60 members but also that some greens will be able to sustain more than 60 members. December 2013 Final Assessment Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 92 LUTON BOROUGH COUNCIL PLAYING PITCH ASSESSMENT

Table 6.4: Bowling green capacity

KKP Site name Analysis No of Club Members Capacity Capacity ref area greens (in members) rating 4 Ashcroft Road Recreation Ground East 1 Ashcroft Bowling Club 42 60 9 Beech Hill Bowling Club South 1 Beech Hill Bowling Club 57 60 21 Co-Op Luton Bowls Club East 1 Co-Op Luton Bowls Club 50 60 34 Kent Athletic Sports & Social Club West 1 Kent Athletic Bowling Club 28 60 36 Lancaster Avenue Recreation Ground North 1 Lancaster Avenue Bowling Club 50 60 39 Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) North 1 Sunlea Bowling Club Unknown 60 (estimated 40) 47 Memorial Park South 1 Luton West End Bowling Club 38 60 63 Wardown Park Central 2 Wardown Park Bowling Club 29 120 67 Luton Town Bowls Club Central 1 Luton Town Bowling Club Unknown 60 (estimated 40)

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6.5: Supply and demand analysis

For the two clubs where membership is unknown an average has been calculated based on the number of members in Luton divided by the number of clubs. The average membership per club is 40 members (although anecdotal evidence suggests that the two clubs where membership is unknown is likely to be lower than 40).

The total estimated bowls membership in Luton is therefore 374.

As previously highlighted it is considered that one green can accommodate, and be sustained, by 60 members. The total current demand for bowling greens in Luton based on 374 players is seven bowling greens. Notwithstanding that there may be additional demand for bowling greens in the future; there is an approximate current oversupply of three greens in Luton.

It is estimated from the capacity table above that there is spare capacity for additional members on all greens in Luton. The table shows that there is aggregated spare capacity for approximately 166 members on bowling greens in Luton. This equates to spare capacity of three bowling greens which is in line with the oversupply calculated above.

Considering supply and demand on just council owned greens, gives a total of six greens with capacity for 360 members. The current number of members playing on council greens is approximately 199. This generates demand for 3.3 greens, i.e. four greens, suggesting that there could be a current oversupply of two greens.

It should also be considered that there is some casual recreational usage on the council greens which needs to be taken account for; however, it is likely that this demand can be accommodated within the four greens required for club members.

Bowls summary  There are ten bowling greens in Luton provided across nine sites.  All greens in Luton are assessed as good quality. In terms of the views from clubs, only one club (Luton West End Bowls Club) reports that the green was slightly poorer than the previous year. Vandalism is or has been an issue at some sites.  Luton West End Bowls Club reports demand for improved ancillary facilities that could lead to having more members. In addition Luton West End Bowls Club, Wardown Park Bowls Club and Sunlea Bowls Club report demand for increased green access for wheelchair players.  There are eight clubs using bowling greens in Luton with an average playing membership of 40. The majority of clubs suggest that an additional bowling green at their home green or in the area would not lead to an increase in club membership.  Junior participation is very low in Luton and none of the clubs report having junior members. There is a general issue with older members not being replaced by younger players; most are aging teams.  Notwithstanding that there may be additional demand for bowling greens in the future; there is an approximate current oversupply of three greens in Luton based on a membership capacity analysis. Just considering Council greens, there is a current oversupply of two greens.

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PART 7: OTHER SPORTS

7.1: Gaelic football

There are currently two Gaelic football clubs operating in Luton; Claddagh Gaels and St Vincent’s GAA Club. Both responded to the consultation.

There are two dedicated Gaelic football pitches in Luton which are both council owned. One is located at Leagrave Park and one is located at Stockwood Park. The pitch at Leagrave is assessed as good quality; the pitch at Stockwood Park, as standard. As Gaelic football pitches are not covered in the Sport England guidance, a generic playing field assessment has been used. The criteria is very similar to that of association football pitches and looks at criteria such as grass length, drainage and line marking. In order to ensure consistency with the other assessments of pitches, a similar formula which converts a percentage score into a good, standard or poor rating was applied.

Leagrave is home to Claddagh Gaels and St Vincent’s use the pitch at Stockwood Park. Users at Stockwood Park report that there are several pot holes on the pitch which deteriorates its quality. It is also reports that informal cricket is played on the pitch, reducing its capacity.

Claddagh Gaels is a senior ladies adult club with two senior teams. The Club reports that the number of teams participating has increased from one to two in the previous three years. St Vincent’s has one senior men’s team and also a junior section. It also reports that the number of senior teams has remained static in the previous three years but that the number of juniors has increased. Neither club plans to increase the number of teams that it has. Both clubs train and play on the match pitch. It is thought likely that both pitches can accommodate the required amount of training and play.

Latent demand was not identified by either club; i.e. they would not have more teams even if more pitches were available.

The ancillary facilities at the pitches are generally perceived to be fit for purpose and adequate. Claddagh Gaels describe the changing facilities and showers as acceptable but report that time is usually limited in the changing rooms due to other cricket and football users requiring access. On one occasion, the Club was denied access due to a cricket game being played at the same time. Car parking is described as inadequate to cope with demand at Leagrave Park. St Vincent’s describe the changing and shower facilities as good quality and acceptable value for money at Stockwood Park. Car parking is adequate for all pitches.

Although current demand is being met in Luton, it is thought that any increase in demand will lead to the need for more pitches. This is especially true as a school’s programme is to be rolled out in 2014 and is likely to lead to an increase in demand for Gaelic football pitches.

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Gaelic football summary  There are two Gaelic football clubs in Luton; Claddagh Gaels and St Vincent’s GAA Club.  There is one Gaelic pitch at Leagrave Park (good quality) and one at Stockwood Park (standard quality).  The ancillary facilities are perceived to be fit for purpose and adequate although there are reports that other sports such as cricket are given priority over changing room access.  Car parking is described as inadequate at Leagrave Park.  Although current demand is being met in Luton, it is thought likely that any increase in demand will lead to the need for more pitches.  A school’s programme is to be rolled out in 2014 and is likely to lead to an increase in demand for Gaelic football pitches.

7.2: Golf

There is one golf course in Luton located at Stockwood Park. It is the only provider of formal golf in Luton and is managed and maintained by Active Luton. The site comprises a driving range, an 18 hole course (standard quality) and a nine hole course (good quality). The course is well used and popular. Quality of the course was determined by user surveys and a site visit. According to the Club, course quality is excellent for a municipal course and with fencing it would be of an even higher standard. However, it is located within the public open space provision and there is a right of way through the course and this is therefore not permitted. In addition, the Club has a newly refurbished clubhouse which has helped to generate more interest in the course and is likely to help attract more members in the future.

Stockwood Park Golf Club, located at the site, currently has 382 members with some female and junior membership and 90% of its members from Luton. Pay and play is also available on site. Membership has generally remained static in the previous three years and there is no waiting list to join. Although the Club reports that it is not operating at membership capacity, it has to balance this with pay and play usage of the course.

It is not thought likely that current or future demand will generate the need for another golf course in Luton. In part, this is due to the proximity of other golf courses in the area. Tea Green Golf Course, for example, has a large proportion of Luton residents as members. The map below shows the 20 minute drive time catchment from Stockwood Park as well as other golf courses within this catchment. The map shows that almost all residents in Luton are serviced by at least one golf course within a twenty minute drive time and all courses offer pay and play golf which means that all are accessible to non-members and this should not be an inhibiting factor.

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Table 7.1: Current provision in the Area

KKP Course Course size Location Access ref G57 Stockwood Park Golf Course 18 and 9 holes Luton Membership and Pay & Play G101 Caddington Golf Course 9 holes Chiltern Hills Membership and Pay & Play G102 Tea Green Golf Course 9 holes South Beds Membership and Pay & Play G103 South Beds Golf Club 9 holes South Beds Membership and Pay & Play G104 Chalgrave Manor Golf Club 18 holes Dunstable Membership and Pay & Play G105 Luton Hoo Hotel Golf Course 18 holes South Beds Membership and Pay & Play

There are some small pockets of deficiencies where residents are not serviced by a 20 minute drive time but this is unlikely to equate to the need for an additional golf course as

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people have a higher propensity to drive to golf courses and are likely to travel further than 20 minutes if required.

The Tea Green course is proposed to be displaced as part of a major housing application to the east of Luton, although it is unknown whether the application will be permitted and implemented. If this development was to go ahead it is likely that many of the Luton residents from the Tea Green would move to Stockwood Park Golf Course. Analysis would need to be carried out to identify whether Stockwood Park would be able to accommodate the increase in demand.

Golf summary  There is one golf course in Luton provided at Stockwood Park comprising of an 18 hole course, a driving range and a 9 hole course.  Membership at the Club has generally remained static in the previous three years and there is no waiting list to join. Although the Club reports that it is not operating at membership capacity, it has to balance this with pay and play usage of the course.  Almost all Luton residents are serviced by a golf course within a 20 minute drive time. Although there are some small pockets of deficiencies where residents are not serviced by a 20 minute drive time this is unlikely to equate to the need for an additional golf course as people have a higher propensity to drive to golf courses.  If the development at Tea Green Course was to go ahead analysis would need to be carried out to identify whether Stockwood Park would be able to accommodate the increase in demand.

7.3: Netball

Netball is popular in the Area with 27 teams competing in the Luton, Dunstable and District Outdoor League. The League has been restructured into three divisions with either 10 or 11 teams. Only four of the teams are from outside of Luton. The number of teams has remained largely static over the previous three years; each year there is some movement with teams being added/lost. For example, in the previous year three new teams were added but one team was lost due to it being accepted into the regional league.

Matches are played on Saturdays or Sundays but the peak time is Sunday mornings with a start time of either 10am or 11.30am. Matches are arranged on a home and away basis with venues booked by the clubs.

There are 41 netball courts identified within Luton with varying degrees of quality. The majority of the courts are located on education sites. Please note that there may also be additional courts located at schools which did not respond to the survey.

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The seven sites used by teams in the League are:

Table 7.2: Netball courts used in the Luton, Dunstable & District League

KKP Site name Analysis No of Quality Clubs Comments ref area outdoor courts 46 Luton 6th Central 2 Good Crawley Tornadoes The courts are Form (6 teams) good quality and College changing rooms are available. There is also the option of one indoor court. 8 Barnfield West 3 Good Seven up (4 teams), Good quality site West Saracens (3 teams), with three floodlit Academy A-line Flyers (1 courts. There are team), Barnfield no changing Fusion/Unity (2 facilities available teams) but this is not a Dunstable Diamonds problem for the (1 team) teams. 49 Putteridge East 3 Good Arrows (1 team), Two of the three High Dodgers (1 team) courts are very School good quality, one has had problems with leaves not cleaned away effectively. There are difficulties with hiring the courts on Sundays; currently they are only used on Saturdays. 6 Barnfield South 3 Good Black Pearls (1 Good quality site. South team), Luton Colts (1 There are no Academy team), MK Netters changing facilities Diamonds (1 team), available but this is Red Devils (1 team), not a problem for Red Stripes (1 team) the teams. 24 Denbigh Central 1 Good Black Scorpions There is one good High (1 team) quality floodlight School court with demand for an additional court. 75 Stopsley East 2 Standard Wyvern Grangers Two standard High (1 team) quality courts. School 59 Meads North 1 Standard Panthers (1 team) One standard Primary quality court. School

A number of other sites that have been used previously are not currently in use. For example, at Dallow Primary School there are three floodlit courts marked on the MUGA which have had problems with the court surface and were unplayable for three weeks in the

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previous season. The courts have been repainted but there are still issues. Previously the School had been well utilised for community netball events.

At Ashcroft School there are four courts, three are of adequate quality but are in need of new posts. There are access issues at the site and the toilets are located some distance from the courts. Crawley Tornadoes has previously played at the site but moved due to the problems.

Challney High School for Girls has three good courts and the League has been working to access the courts but, despite a formal community use agreement (CUA) being in place, has been unsuccessful. Junior School leagues are held there after school but the League reports that it seems the School only wants to hire out all the courts together at the same time. A lack of community access to school sites is a common issue for the League.

England Netball reports that the loss of BSF funding affected some schools in Luton. Icknield High School had plans to build a multi-use outdoor court area with floodlights and the League was in talks with the School to use the site as a central venue, however the work was never carried out. The current courts are not playable due to moss and other weeds on the surface.

England Netball also reports that the loss of the three outdoor courts at Stopsley Leisure centre affected the junior leagues and ‘back to netball’; the courts were well used with changing/café facilities at the centre.

All demand for matches is accommodated on the current supply of courts and this is supported by the League which suggests that there are enough courts in Luton to satisfy demand. There are also enough courts that could be accessed if the League was to grow further.

The issue for the League is that currently there is no venue with more than three good quality courts which means that there is no facility for tournaments or a centralised junior league. A four or six court venue would allow the League to do this and would allow for development.

Netball summary  There are 41 netball courts identified within Luton with varying degrees of quality. All courts are located on education sites.  27 teams compete in the Luton, Dunstable and District outdoor league. Only four of the teams are from outside of Luton. The number of teams has remained largely static over the previous three years.  Despite a formal community use agreement (CUA) being in place at Challney High School the League reports that attempted access to the courts for senior matches has been unsuccessful.  All demand for matches is accommodated on the current supply of courts and this is supported by the League which suggests that there are generally enough courts in Luton to satisfy demand.  There are also enough courts that could be accessed if the League was to grow further.  Overall the Luton League manages on the courts that are at its disposal but moving forward would benefit from the development opportunities that a Central Venue facility (i.e. 4/5/ 6 outdoor courts) would bring.

7.4: Tennis

Current provision

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The vast majority of tennis courts in Luton are located on either education or council owned land.

There is one private tennis club, Luton & Vauxhall Lawn Tennis Club which is based at Venue 360. There are six outdoor courts and two indoor courts at the site. The quality of the courts is very good and all six are floodlit. The venue is also an LTA performance accredited training centre.

There are 65 tennis courts identified in the audit, of which, 13 are parks tennis courts. Please note that there may also be additional courts located at schools which did not respond to the survey.

Table 7.3: Summary of tennis courts in Luton

KKP Site Analysis Number of Quality Ownership ref area courts 6 Barnfield South Academy South 3 Good Academy 8 Barnfield West Academy West 3 Good Academy 17 Cardinal Newman Secondary School North 6 Standard Education 18 Challney Girls High School West 4 Standard Education 20 Chaul End Lane Open Space West 1 Standard LBC 24 Denbigh High School Central 4 Standard Education 31 Icknield High School North 6 Poor Education 36 Lancaster Avenue Recreation North 2 Standard LBC Ground 37 Lea Manor High School North 5 Standard Education 41 Lealands High School North 4 Standard Education 42 Lewsey Park West 3 Standard LBC 46 Luton Sixth Form College Central 3 Standard Education 47 Memorial Park South 2 Standard LBC 49 Putteridge High School East 6 Standard Education 61 Venue 360 South 6 Good Private 63 Wardown Park Central 5 Standard LBC 75 Stopsley High School East 2 Standard Education

In addition, there are six floodlit courts located at Luton Regional Recreation Ground (owned by the Council) which are now disused as the leisure centre on the site, which managed the courts, has closed. Even though the courts are disused the surface quality remains high although there have been incidents of vandalism to the fencing and floodlights. Luton & Vauxhall Lawn Tennis Club is keen to use the courts and develop the site as a Beacon Tennis site as it is one of the few sites in Luton which has floodlit courts.

There are also disused tennis courts at Crawley Green Recreation Ground, Blundell Road Rec and Kingsway Park.

Quality

All parks and education courts are assessed as standard quality, except for Icknield High School which are assessed as poor and Venue 360 courts which are assessed as good quality. Quality assessments were carried out for tennis courts based on a non-pitch non- technical form designed to look at aspects such as surface quality, floodlights, nets, line marking, etc. A percentage score was then converted into a good, standard or poor rating.

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The view from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) is that many of Luton’s parks courts are in need of resurfacing.

Club demand

Luton & Vauxhall Lawn Tennis Club membership currently stands at 160 juniors and 110 adults and produces 12 junior, four mens (winter), for mens (summer), two womens (winter) and two womens (summer) teams. Although availability of courts is not a particular issue, the Club reports that it is operating at capacity at peak time for matches. It identifies potential for two more courts to be created on the overflow car park land if required.

Informal usage

All Council parks courts are free to use and are open access. Wardown Park is the most used Council site which is thought to be due to quality and location. The courts at Venue 360 are also available on a pay and play basis for casual use.

Following events such as Wimbledon demand has increased for pay and play. The LTA reports that it is difficult to measure casual use as some courts are available for free but highlights that courts are generally busy throughout the summer months. However, comprehensive research in the eight LTA pilot areas nationally has shown that 53% of people playing tennis once per week does so at public court facilities (pay and play). As shown in the Active People Survey, participation in tennis has a seasonal peak in the summer, which is particularly pronounced amongst non-club and occasional players.

Further research carried out by the LTA suggests that many more people would play tennis if they knew where courts were located, particularly council courts, and its belief is that better promotion would increase demand.

Tennis summary  There are 65 tennis courts identified within Luton of which 13 are parks tennis courts.  The one club in Luton is Luton & Vauxhall Lawn tennis club with a membership of 160 juniors and 110 adults.  Although availability of courts at the Club is not a particular issue, the Club reports that it is operating at capacity at peak time for matches. It identifies potential for two more courts to be created on the overflow car park land if required.  Council parks courts are free to use and are open access. Wardown Park is the most used site.  Quality at parks sites could be improved as all are assessed as standard quality; however they are fit for purpose and provide a recreational standard of court.

7.5: Athletics

Current provision

The majority of athletics is catered for in Luton at Stockwood Park Athletics Track (managed by Active Luton).

The site consists of a good quality, well maintained, eight lane 400 metre track which is able to hold competitions under UK Athletics, high jump, long jump, throwing area and other field event facilities. Although there is seating for 208, this is uncovered.

Demand

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Three clubs operate in Luton; Luton Athletics Club, Boxfit Triathlon Club and Stopsley Striders Jogging Club.

Luton Athletics Club has a service level agreement for the use of Stockwood Park Athletics Track. The Club currently has around 200 members and three quarters is made up of juniors. There has been a 15% increase in membership since the London Olympics. In addition it suggests that there is enough existing demand to increase membership by a further 10% per year for the next five years. Although this can be accommodated at the facility, the Club itself will be operating at capacity.

Furthermore, the facility is fully booked at peak times and is also well used by schools and competitions.

The majority of its members are from Luton, however, some travel from Dunstable and Harpenden as the facility is easily accessible from the motorway. In addition, there are only running clubs in the immediate surrounding areas. The nearest similar sized facilities both located South of Luton are at Jarman Park Athletics in Hemel Hempstead and Westminster Lodge Athletics Track in St Albans (both just over 10 miles from Luton). To the North, Bedford International Athletic Stadium which is located just over 20 miles away.

Quality

Stockwood Park Track was re-laid 18 months ago and is certified as a Grade A track which can hold County Level Competition. Luton Athletics Club reports it is of a very good quality.

Active Luton suggests that a separate throwing area would be of benefit to the facility and the Club reports that new throwing circles are planned for 2014. This is critical in terms of retaining the existing track certification.

The football pitch which is located in the centre of the track is used by Luton Ladies FC. This can create some additional maintenance and wear and tear issues on the track as players access the pitch across it. In addition, football training on the pitch inhibits athletics field training and divots created from the hammer affect the pitch quality and are time consuming to remove.

Luton Athletics Club is considering a funding bid to cover the spectator seating alongside the home straight.

Athletics summary  There is one athletics track in Luton located at Stockwood Park. The track is certified Grade A and is of a good enough standard to hold county competitions. It was re-laid 18 months ago and is suitable to satisfy demands from the Club.  There is demand for a separate throwing area, with new circles planned for 2014. This is critical to retain the existing track certification.

7.6 Multi-use Games Areas (MUGAs)

MUGAs are defined as an enclosed area using a synthetic grass or hard surface for playing sports, sometimes also referred to as a ball court and usually have multi-sport line markings. They can vary in size, dimensions and measurements because of restrictions on sites but the most common dimensions are 38m x 18m or 35m x 17m which allows a variety of sports

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line marking to be installed onto the pitch. Luton has a number of MUGAs which are not enclosed to ensure that they do not detract from the spatial quality of green space.

There are 12 MUGAs identified in Luton. Most of these sites, (eight) are located at school sites. The remaining sites are operated by the Council. Lewsey Park is the only Council owned MUGA which is a bookable facility via Active Luton Trust but is available free for all to use when not booked. The remaining ones are left open for casual use. The school MUGAs tend to be booked out for community use with varying degrees of success.

Table 7.4: Summary of MUGA audit

Site name No. of Community Surface type Quality MUGAs Use Farley Junior School 2 Yes Tarmac Adequate Foxdell Junior School 1 Tarmac Adequate Norton Road Primary School 1 Tarmac Adequate Pirton Hill Primary School 1 No Tarmac Adequate St Matthews Primary School 2 No Tarmac Adequate Sundon Park Junior School 1 Tarmac Adequate Dallow Primary School 1 Tarmac Poor Brooms Road Adventure 1 Polymeric Good Playground Kingsway Recreation Ground 1 Tarmac Poor Lewsey Park 1 Tarmac Adequate Bushmead Primary School 1 Tarmac Adequate Chaul End Park 1 Tarmac Adequate

Please note that there may also be additional MUGAs located at schools which did not respond to the survey.

Most MUGAs are identified as having a macadam (tarmac) surface type. Football, basketball and tennis are commonly played on MUGAs in Luton for informal activity or for football training. Tarmac is not the preferred surface for football training, however, clubs often utilise these facilities due to a lack of access to 3G pitches but moreover due to MUGAs being cheaper to hire or free to use.

Although the quality of MUGAs in Luton has generally been assessed as adequate, site assessments highlighted some evidence of inappropriate and/or presence of glass/stones/litter. In particular, Lewsey Park (some inappropriate use), Farley Junior School (some litter/stone) and Brooms Road Adventure Playground (some glass/litter) were highlighted as this being a specific issue which is impacting on the overall quality of the facility. In addition, the goal posts at Lewsey Road were damaged at the time of the site visit.

Dallow Primary School and Kingsway Recreation Ground have both been assessed as poor quality. There have been some reported issues with the court surface at Dallow Primary School which has previously resulted in it being unplayable. The surface quality and lack of fencing at Kingsway Recreation Ground result in its poor quality rating.

Farley Junior School is planning to secure funding from Sport England to resurface the two existing MUGAs on site, removing the middle fencing separating them to form one larger facility.

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It is difficult to quantity demand for MUGAs due to their often informal use. There appears to be some spare capacity for greater usage of them in Luton. However, quality of provision is likely to be impacting on further use. If more formalised activity such as football training moves to greater use of 3G pitches, this should create greater capacity for MUGAs to be used for more informal sporting activity.

7.8: Rugby League

There are no rugby league clubs or pitches in Luton. There are no immediate plans to develop a rugby league club in Luton and it is not a priority for the RFL. Hemel Stags is the closest club to service Luton residents. The Club is located a 20 minute drive away in Hemel Hempstead, Dacorum.

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PART 8: EDUCATION

8.1: Introduction

Provision of sport and recreation facilities at schools and colleges can make an important contribution to the overall stock. It is therefore important to have accurate information about the number, type, quality and availability of facilities and pitches within the education sector in the Borough.

The Education and Inspection Act (2006) came into force in early 2009 and amends the existing legislation within the Schools Standards and Framework Act (SSFA) 1998, which was originally introduced by the Government requiring all schools to seek approval from the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Education and Skills since July 2001 now the Department for Children, Schools and Families) for the sale or change of use of their playing fields.

Section 77 of the SSFA protects school playing fields against disposal or change of use by requiring the prior consent of the Secretary of State before disposal or change of use may take place. The School Playing Fields General Disposal and Change of Use Consent (No.3) 2004 order highlights some limited circumstances in which the requisite approval has been delegated to the relevant local planning authority, which can decide whether the disposal or change of use meets the circumstances and criteria set out in the Consent Order13.

Consultation

An online survey was sent to 50 primary schools and a 70% response rate was achieved. A site visit and consultation was also carried out to all 12 secondary schools in Luton.

8.2: Current provision

Pitches located on education sites, make up half of the Borough’s total number of pitches. The following table outlines the total number and type of playing pitches provided on education sites within Luton (regardless of their availibility).

Table 8.1: Summary of pitches located on education sites

Analysis area Number of pitches Senior Youth Mini Rugby AGP Cricket football football football union Central 5 6 5 1 2 0 East 1 2 4 2 1 0 North 3 3 3 2 1 1 South 0 3 0 0 1 0 West 1 2 9 0 2 1 LUTON 10 16 21 5 7 2

Almost three quarters (71%) of the Borough’s junior football pitches are located on education sites. However, over a third (35%) of these is unavailable for community use. The table below further outlines the proportion of pitches which are currently available (although not necessarily being used) for use by the community (for regular competitive fixtures by local clubs).

13 Full and detailed guidance can be accessed at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=11600 December 2013 Final Assessment Report: Knight Kavanagh & Page 106 LUTON BOROUGH COUNCIL PLAYING PITCH ASSESSMENT

Table 8.2: Education pitches which are available for community use

Analysis area Number of pitches Senior Youth Mini Rugby AGP Cricket football football football union Luton Central 5 4 3 1 2 0 Luton East 1 2 1 1 1 0 Luton North 1 2 1 1 1 0 Luton South 0 1 0 0 1 0 Luton West 1 1 5 0 2 1 LUTON 8 10 10 3 7 1

Of the 39 pitches available for community use, just over half (51%) have no recorded play against them. For example, there are 21 mini football pitches at school sites, of which, only nine are actually available for community use and being used.

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PPS Site ID Site Name Analysis Area Community Use pitches on Ow nership Type Football Rugby Union Rugby League Cricket AGP site? Adult Youth Mini Senior Mini / Midi Senior Junior Primary 7v7 9v9 11v11 5v5 7v7 Additional Comments 3 Ashcroft High School East Yes/No mix Secondary School 1 1 1 1 6 Barnfield South Academy South Yes Secondary School 1 8 Barnfield West Academy West Yes Secondary School 1 1 Site has now been redeveloped as the new Barnfield West Academy

10 Beechw ood Primary School West Yes Primary School 1 School w as required to complete a community use agreement for playing fields as a requirement of a planning permission. Unclear w hether community use currently takes place in practice. 13 Bramingham Primary School North No Primary School 1 16 Bushmead Primary School Central Yes Primary School 1 I understand that community use of playing is or has taken place on this site 17 Cardinal New man Secondary School North Yes/No mix Secondary School 1 1 1 18 Challney Girls High School West Yes/No mix Secondary School 1 1 1 Pitches shared w ith boys school. Room for additional senior football pitch. Boys school pays to use AGP 19 Challney High School for Boys and Community College West Secondary School No pitches. See KKP ref 18 23 Dallow Primary School South No Primary School 1 Community use currently not taking place but this site w as the subject of a SE grant aw ard tow ards its faciltiies (MUGAs) and used to have communtiy use. Sport England currently in process of discussing reinstating community use w ith the school 24 Denbigh High School Central Yes/No mix Secondary School 1 1 25 Denbigh High Detached Playing Fields Central Yes Secondary School 1 1 Not included on Active Places so should be discussed w hen visiting Denbigh High School's main site and audited separately from main site. 26 Dow nside Primary School West Yes Primary School 1 This site has community use of playing field and has a competed community use agreement in place. Is separate to the adjoining Chaul End Lane Open Space.

27 Farley Junior School South Yes Primary School 1 Floodlit MUGA w as funded by Sport England. Unclear if any current community use. 30 Hillborough Junior School South No Primary School 1 I understand that community use of playing field is or has taken place on this site

31 Icknield High School North No Secondary School 2 1 1 37 Lea Manor High School North Secondary School Same site as KKP ref 38 40 Leagrave Primary School West Yes Primary School 1 41 Lealands High School North Yes Secondary School 1 Same grass pitches as Leagrave Park (Sundon Park) KKP ref 39 46 Luton Sixth Form College Central Yes/No mix College 2 1 1 1 49 Putteridge High School East Secondary School School has a large macadam/spongey area for tennis, etc. Also 3 netball courts. Also has offsite provision at KKP ref 52 50 Putteridge Junior School East No Primary School 2 52 Selsey Drive East Yes Secondary School 1 1 This is Putteridge High School's detached playing field so should be discussed w hen visiting Putteridge High School's main site and audited separately from main site. Poor quality pitches. Has tw o additional mini pitches not marked out 53 St Joseph's Catholic Junior School Central No Primary School 1 1 1 I understand that community use of playing is or has taken place on this site 54 St Martin De Porres Catholic Primary School West Primary School Potentially share pitches w ith KKP ref 72 59 The Meads Primary School North No Primary School 1 School w as required to complete a community use agreement for playing fields as a requirement of a planning permission. Unclear w hether community use currently takes place in practice. 62 Warden Hill Junior School North No Primary School 1 This site has community use of playing field and has a competed community use agreement in place.

64 Wigmore Primary School East No Primary School 1 I understand that community use of playing is or has taken place on this site

66 Woodlands Secondary School North Secondary School Special School - no pitches marked out but have playing fields 68 Chantry Primary Academy West Yes Primary School 2 69 Pirton Hill Primary West No Primary School 2 70 Sacred Heart primary School East Yes Primary School 1 71 Someries Junior School East Yes Primary School 1 72 Southfield Primary School West No Primary School 2 73 St Matthew s Primary School Central No Primary School 1 74 Sundon Park Junior School North Yes Primary School 1 1 75 Stopsley High School East No Secondary School 1

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8.3: Primary schools

The results of the online survey to primary schools to ascertain the quality, quantity and availability of outdoor sports pitch facilities are summarised below.

Quantity

The majority of primary/special schools (80%) have access to a playing field. Of these, all are located on the site of the school. One school also reported accessing additional pitches off site, Denbigh Primary School.

In total, 21% of playing fields contain a youth football pitch and 26% schools report that they have a mini football pitch. Three schools also have a 9v9 football pitch and one has a half size AGP.

Over three quarters of primary schools (10 in total) report that they have a generic grass field of a suitable size which could be marked out as a playing pitch if required.

In addition, over half (57%) of primary schools also have ‘other’ forms of outdoor sports facilities. These include marked running tracks and generic playgrounds with line markings for tennis/netball/basketball.

Quality

The majority of responses with regard to the condition of the playing fields are positive. Overall schools indicate that the quality is average or good with the majority (76%) rating grass coverage as good. Almost three quarters (71%) also rate the evenness of the pitch as good or adequate and 62% rate line markings as good or average. However, a significant number (38%) do also report evidence of damage to the surface. In addition, 29% report some instances of unofficial use and 10% report evidence of dog fouling.

Availability Based upon the schools that responded to the survey just under half (43%), state that its playing field is currently available for community use. In reality, the percentage which is actually in use is lower with 29% being recorded as used by local sports clubs as follows:

 Southfield Primary School  Sacred Heart Primary School  Sundon Park Junior School  Someries Junior School  Farley Junior School

In addition, there are also a number of primary schools (as listed below) which report that they have had community sports clubs previously playing on pitches or that they currently have teams accessing pitches for midweek/weekend training and other events:

 Southfield Primary School  Sacred Heart Primary School  Sundon Park Junior School  Someries Junior School  Farley Junior School

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Three schools state that their playing pitches are available but currently have no community use are:

 Foxdell Junior School  Chantry Primary Academy  Beechwood Primary School

It is likely that local clubs are unaware of the availability of these pitches and/or pitch quality issues and access to changing rooms may also inhibit clubs using the pitches.

Only one school (Someries Junior School) reports that they receive more interest to use their pitches than they can accommodate.

Over half of schools (52%) report that their pitches are unavailable for community use. Reasons include; access/management issues, negative past experiences doing so and simply no demand.

There are only four responding primary schools which indicate that they have specific changing accommodation to service their sports facilities and, of these, three of the four are available for community use.

The majority of changing accommodation (75%) is rated as either adequate or good quality, whilst 25% are rated as poor quality. This majority (75%) also have car parking available. Although, one school (Surrey Street Primary) reported that despite both changing and car parking facilities were good, they could not afford to use them as the costs of playing and ancillary facilities charged by the Council were too expensive.

Plans to develop or expand existing provision

Of responding schools, 29% report plans to develop or expand existing playing field provision.

Table 8.3: Primary school development plans

School Summary Ferrars Junior School Has an aspiration to install an artificial grass pitch. Surrey Street Primary Looking to use the tennis courts already bought but don’t have access to. Hillborough Junior School Planning for small building which will not reduce pitch size and for a container in which to keep sports equipment. Tennyson Road Primary School moving to Surrey Street Primary site in September 2014, School which are also subsequently moving site. No plans on current site. St Matthews Primary School Hoping to build an artificial grass pitch instead on the grass football pitch, however, no funding has been put into place. Farley Junior School Planning to secure funding from Sport England to resurface the two existing MUGAs on site, removing the middle fencing separating them to form one large surface. Warden Hill Junior School Significant building work planned which will significantly affect the fields.

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8.4: Secondary schools

The following table provides a summary of the key issues and findings relating to the quality of outdoor sports provision at secondary school sites identified via face to face consultation and site visits.

Table 8.4: Schools consultation summary

KKP School Summary ref 41 Lealands High The School has one AGP pitch, with two netball and four tennis courts. School Floodlit three quarter sized AGP pitch has community use every night and is well maintained by site staff. Neighbouring Council owned site is used which has one senior, one junior and one mini football pitch. During summer it is marked for three rounders pitches, a cricket pitch with artificial wicket and both track and field athletics. As such this is available for community use and maintained by Weedwise. The School reports that the netball/tennis courts have a slight slope and require winter cleaning. The Council football pitches were said to have reasonable drainage despite sloping inwards and have well marked lines with fully collapsible goalposts. 75 Stopsley High The School has no football pitches on site, instead use adjacent School Stopsley Common (former Luton Regional) for football and cricket. There is a rugby pitch on the school site which is overmarked for athletics and rounders in the summer. The playground is marked for netball, tennis and mini tennis. However, the School is unable to use the floodlit courts at the Regional due to missing fences and floodlight damage. Play Football also provides six 5x5 and two 7x7 floodlit 3G pitches on the school site, with changing facilities making it self-sufficient. The School report its own changing facilities as average quality and plans to build a new sports hall with changing facilities over the playground and tennis/netball courts. As part of the Government’s Priority Schools Building Programme the School is to be redeveloped and is likely to provide opportunities for new outdoor sports facilities. 18 Challney High On site pitches consist of one senior football pitch, one artificial cricket School for square, one 300m athletics track and four rounders pitches. The School Girls has space for one more senior football pitch which it could then rent out. It could also install a grass cricket square, however, not much PE taking place within school. School facilities currently managed and maintained by Mitie which is also keen to take on pitch booking responsibilities as it believes they are not marketed effectively. Pitches reported to drain well and with good line markings. School also has one, good quality sand AGP maintained by Weedwise and available for community use and used by Luton Hockey Club. 19 Challney High Challney Boys School use the girl’s school sports facilities. It does have School for three tennis courts, however, these are disused and there are plans to Boys convert them into a grass pitch. A new playing field is also being built on the site of the former girls’ school building.

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KKP School Summary ref 17 Cardinal School has one senior and one youth football pitch, one AGP, one rugby Newman pitch, one grass hockey pitch. There are also six tennis courts on hard Secondary playground surface, three netball courts and an athletics track marked School from Easter. All maintained by Village Garden Services. School reports pitches to drain well and lines marked every 3 to 4 weeks to be good, however, despite being fenced off they are subject to some resident dog fouling and unofficial use. Local community use by Bushmead Rovers FC and Pro Soccer workshops in evenings and half terms. AGP is old Redgra pitch and reported as very poor quality, being dusty in summer, flooding in winter and sinking in general. High demand in the area for grass pitches for community use including weekend as many local council pitches are unavailable. 8 Barnfield West School has one AGP and one grass youth football pitch. Both are used Academy for community use (as part of the community use agreement). AGP is booked up for most weekday evenings by Football Mundial and Soccer League UK 6 a side leagues, however, school is finding it hard to break even from renting of facilities. Despite pitch being marketed to all clubs, demand for these is less than initially thought and now using a third less of pitch. As a result free Friday sessions are being offered to try to attract new interest. Beds FA has advised that the £31.20 fee per third per hour is too expensive and is contributing towards less demand, however, due to conditions of community use agreement are committed to it. 6 Barnfield There are no grass pitches on this site, only one AGP. Used extensively South by Luton Town FC Academy and as such offered at a discounted rate. Academy Otherwise not as much use as Barnfield West Campus. Some tension between the School and external users regard to the condition of the facilities after use. 49 Putteridge On site facilities include three netball courts and a large High School macadam/sponge-like surface suited to tennis, netball and softball. School has no grass pitches on site, instead using Selsey Drive, seven minutes’ walk. Off-site provision includes one senior and one youth football pitch, two unmarked 6v6 mini pitches, two rounders pitches and athletics track. There is room for more pitches e.g. a cricket pitch. The pitch grass pitches are quite even with adequate drainage, however, with heavy rain can become boggy. Pitches are maintained by O’Connor, however, is expensive as lines marked and grass cut every fortnight. Pitches are available for community use and are used by AFC Luton free of charge as part of a school club partnership. Tennis courts also now being booked occasionally.

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KKP School Summary ref 3 Ashcroft High The School has one senior and one youth football pitch, one rugby pitch, School one artificial cricket wicket and one floodlit AGP. These are overmarked to provide for three rounders pitches, two softball pitches and field athletics. The grass pitches are reported to drain well due to relatively new drainage installed eight years ago, with only a slight slope, with no unofficial use or use from students during the day. A lack of storage for goalposts means they have become rusty and the sockets on football pitches especially are poor. Facilities are maintained by Weedwise. AGP is full size, medium pile and needs resurfacing within at least 18 months, however, still short of sinking fund money required. Available for community use and School looking to increase usage, currently used week nights by Beds FA for initiatives and development centres and by weekend five a side leagues. Also used by Crawley Green FC with whom the School has a partnership. 37 Lea Manor The School uses facilities on Lea Manor Recreation Ground for grass High School pitch provision where there is one adult football pitch and two 9v9 pitches, which are also marked for athletics use in the summer. Access is open as involvement is half school half council. The quality of the pitches is poor, based on a clay area with poor soil quality. They are available for community use through the council who hire them out for weekend football teams to use. The school also has a poor quality AGP which is subject to flooding, sloping and from which sand comes off into the drains. It is however being replaced in the autumn by a new full size 3G AGP, slightly bigger than the current one. It is used for after school sports but is also available for community use. Onsite there is also five tennis courts, three netball courts and a basketball court. The changing facilities for adults were reported as good; however the children’s changing facilities are of very poor quality. 31 Icknield The School has fairly extensive playing fields which include two senior Academy football, two rugby union and one cricket pitch. It also has two court areas both with three tennis courts each. Although there is no current community use of the facilities, the school would be willing consider it if demand exists. 24 Denbigh On site, the School has one senior grass football pitch and a half size Academy 3G pitch built in 2005. The 3G pitch is well used for community use; however, there is no use of the grass pitch. The site also contains tennis courts which it intends to convert to netball courts due to community demand for netball. The School also owns a playing field site on Bishopcote Road, although it is fenced off to the public, it adjoins William Austin Junior School playing fields. It contains one youth and one mini pitch. The School does not use the facility due to it being located too far away and as such the School would like to lease it to a club. The pitches are generally adequate quality but the changing rooms on site are very poor quality.

8.5: Colleges

Barnfield College and Luton Sixth Form College both provide extensive outdoor sports facilities. The facilities have been referenced throughout the document in the sports specific sections but a breakdown can be found below:

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KKP College Summary ref 5 Barnfield The College has four adult, one 5v5 and one 7v7 grass football pitches Health & all assessed as standard quality. The pitches are available for Fitness Suite community use and used by several teams in the area. LBC currently act And Barnfield as agents to let out the football pitches but the responsibility will be College transferred to the College in 2014. 46 Luton 6th Form The College has two 9v9 and one youth 11v11 football pitches, one College senior rugby union pitch and full size sand based AGP. The pitches are available for community use and used by many teams in the area. The grass football pitches are assessed as standard quality, the rugby union pitch is standard and the AGP is assessed as good quality. Although the AGP is good quality there are no floodlights and so the pitch cannot be used during the week for training in winter.

Education summary  The majority of schools (80%) have access to playing fields.  Almost three quarters (71%) of the Borough’s junior football pitches are located on education sites. However, over a third (35%) of these is unavailable for community use.  Of the 39 pitches available for community use on school sites, just over half (51%) have no recorded play against them. For example, there are 21 mini football pitches at school sites, of which, only nine are actually available for community use and being used.  Of the 43% of primary schools currently available for community use, only six have actual regular community use, and three have no current use of their playing pitches. The reasons for lack of use include; access issues, management issues, no demand and negative past experiences of community use.  10 primary schools (83%) have a generic grass area that would be suitable to mark out an additional playing pitch.  (57%) of primary schools have ‘other’ forms of outdoor sports facilities. These include rounders pitches and generic playgrounds with various line markings.  Secondary schools make a significant contribution to the overall provision of outdoor sports facilities in Luton. Where schools provide AGPs they are available for community use. However, most report that spare capacity.

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APPENDIX 1: CONSULTEE LIST

Organisation Name Designation Active Luton Stewart Trower Group Operations Manager Active Luton Helen Barnet Chief Executive ECB Chris Whitaker Funding & Facilities Manager England Hockey Laura Swanston Relationship Manager Jane Conway Luton Council Development and Business Manager (Parks) Lisa Rowe Luton Council Parks Facilities Manager RFU Peter Shaw Funding & Facilities Manager Sandra Hayes Luton Council Community Development Service Manager Sport England Roy Warren Planning Manager Steve Battlebury Luton Council Parks Operations Manager Team Beds & Luton Mark Stokes Coaching Development Manager Team Beds & Luton Lloyd Conaway Director The FA Mark Liddiard Funding & Facilities Manager The FA Kevin England County Development Manager University of Bedfordshire Lee Allen Internship Manager at University of Bedfordshire Clubs and leagues 61 FC Richard Everitt Secretary A.C. Cadoza Peter Ongley Secretary A.C. Sportsman (STOPSLEY) Ben Henry Secretary A.F.C. Chequers Caddington Dean Carney Secretary A.F.C. Clophill Heather James Secretary A.F.C. Luton Mark Burns Secretary A.F.C. Sundon Claire Smith Secretary A.S.R. Elite Musthafa Hussain Secretary A-Line Flyers Netball club Louise Harwood Secretary Arrows Netball Club Lucy Eaglen Secretary Ashcroft Bowling Club John Weedon Secretary Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire David Baker Secretary County Women's Football League Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Saeed Iqbal Chair Sunday Cricket League Bedfordshire County Football Barry Snelson General Secretary League Bedfordshire Youth Saturday Scott Mitchell Fixtures Secretary League Beech Hill Bowling Club Patricia George Secretary Blue Line Aces FC Sam Huwa Secretary Brache Nations FC Syed Ali Secretary Brache Sparta FC Graham Caves Fixtures Secretary Broadwalk United FC Harbans Gill Secretary Bury Park Saracens FC Ash Iqbal Secretary Celtic S.C. (LUTON) FC Kevin Bermingham Secretary Chiltern Hockey Club Hilary Ward President Chiltern Junior Sevens Football Steve Chamberlain Assistant General Secretary

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Organisation Name Designation League Christians In Sport (LUTON) FC Jamie Nolan Secretary Claddagh Gaels Ladies Gaelic Unknown Secretary Football Club Club Lewsey FC Mark Pontefract Secretary Co-op Green Man FC Richard Smith Secretary Co-op Luton Bowls Club Brian Miles Secretary Crawley Green Youth FC Ron Bates Secretary Crawley Green Youth FC Eddie Downey Chair Dunstable Town Cricket Club Andrew Boocock Secretary EB Lions FC FC Polonia (LUTON) Piotr Warzocha Secretary Gardeners Call (LUTON) FC Stuart Wells Secretary Kashmir Cavaliers Cricket club Tahir Bashir Secretary Kent Athletic Bowls Club Nick Cornish Secretary Kent Athletic FC George Trott Secretary Kingsway Cricket Club Aftab Ali Secretary L.U. Four FC Denise Barbour Secretary Lancaster Avenue Bowls Club John Millard Secretary Leighton & District Sunday Football Sid Clear Secretary League Lewsey Centre Youth FC Alison Hawkins Secretary Lewsey Park FC Katy McGlynn Secretary Lilley Rangers Dennis Townsend Secretary Luton Athletics Club Catrina Lewis Coaching Coordinator Luton Athletics Club Paul Brooks Chairman Luton Borough (SUNDAY) Andi Cook Secretary Luton Borough Football Club Steve Chamberlain Vice Chair Luton Boys FC John Musto Chair Luton Caribbean Cricket Club Godfrey Arthur Secretary Luton Caribbean Cricket Club Dudley Belone Fixtures Secretary Luton District & South Beds David Snaith Chair & Fixtures Secretary Football League Luton Eagles Cricket Club Luton Eagles Secretary Luton Haiderys Cricket Club Luton Haiderys Secretary Luton Hawks Cricket Club Naeem Akhtar Director Luton Leagrave AFC Matthew Copeland Secretary Luton Old Boys Thomas Gray Secretary Luton Pakistanis Cricket Club Shamus Uddin Secretary Luton Sporting Club FC Giuseppe Fierro Secretary Luton Town & Indians Cricket Club Dipak Parsooth Secretary Luton Town Hockey Club Tricia Murphy Deputy Chair Luton Town Ladies FC Dave Baker Club Manager Luton United FC Adam Burgess Secretary Luton Vagrants Hockey Club James Cartledge Secretary Luton West End Bowls club Ray Dodd Secretary Luton, Dunstable & District Netball Julie Kightley Chair League

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Organisation Name Designation Lutonians Cricket Club Sam Parkar Chair Manor Old Boys FC Mark Hillyard Secretary Sporting Sundon FC Sean Moore Secretary St Joseph’s YFC Declan Marks Treasurer St. Josephs(Sunday) FC Patrick Corrigan Secretary St. Vincents GAA Club William Joyce Secretary Stockwood Park Athletics Track Catrina Lewis Facility Manager Stockwood Park Golf Club Terry Nicholls Facility Manager Stockwood Park Rugby FC Lee Allen Secretary Stopsley Stingers FC Matthew Castleman Secretary Stopsley Striders Jogging Club Mark Sains Secretary Sundon Athletic Youth FC Mick Dearden Secretary Sundon Park Rangers Helen Conway Secretary (SATURDAY) FC Sundon Park Rangers Colts FC Chris Bradwell Chairman Vauxhall Lawn Tennis Club Daniel Pymont Coach Vauxhall Rugby FC Leo O' Neill Secretary Warden Hill Tigers FC Janice Collett Secretary Wardown Park Bowls Club Neville Burgess Secretary Wigmore Arms (LUTON) FC David Cox Secretary Wigmore Sports FC Martin Wheeler Secretary Schools Ashcroft High School Sam Clayton Head of PE Barnfield South Academy John Lincoln Assistant Principal Barnfield West Academy Anthony Basham Head of Asset Development Beechwood Primary School Unknown Representative Cardinal Newman Secondary Zoe Gazeley. Head of PE School Challney Girls High School Sarah Hedley Business Manager Paul Fox Facilities Manager Challney High School for Boys and Graham Sells Head of PE Community College Chantry Primary School Unknown Representative Cheynes Infant School Unknown Representative Crawley Green Infant School Unknown Representative Denbigh High School Teresa Kelly Business Manager Denbigh High School Martin Brooks Facilities Manager Denbigh Primary School Unknown Representative Farley Junior School Unknown Representative Ferrars Junior School Unknown Representative Foxdell Infant School Unknown Representative Foxdell Junior School Unknown Representative Hillborough Infant School Unknown Representative Hillborough Junior School Unknown Representative Icknield High School Adam Smith Deputy Head Lea Manor High School John Salisbury Deputy Head Leagrave Primary School Unknown Representative Lealands High School Steve Didlick Head of PE

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Organisation Name Designation Norton Road Primary School Unknown Representative Pirton Hill Primary School Unknown Representative Putteridge High School Louise Nicholls Head of PE Putteridge Primary School Unknown Representative Ramridge Primary School Unknown Representative Sacred Heart Primary School (VA) Unknown Representative RC Someries Infant School Unknown Representative Someries Junior School Unknown Representative Southfield Primary School Unknown Representative St. Joseph's Infant School (VA) RC Unknown Representative St. Joseph's Junior School (VA) RC Unknown Representative St. Martin de Porres Primary Unknown Representative School (VA) St. Matthews Primary School Unknown Representative Stopsley High School John Williets Assistant Head Sundon Park Junior School Unknown Representative Surrey Street Primary School Unknown Representative Tennyson Road Primary School Unknown Representative The Ferrars Academy, Infant Unknown Representative School The Meads Primary School Unknown Representative Warden Hill Infant School Unknown Representative Warden Hill Junior School Unknown Representative Waulud Primary School Unknown Representative Wenlock Junior School (Church of Unknown Representative England) Whitefield Primary School Unknown Representative William Austin Infant School Unknown Representative Woodlands Secondary School Jill Miller Head Teacher

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APPENDIX 2: SPORTING CONTEXT

The following section outlines a series of national, regional and local policies pertaining to the study and which will have an important influence on the Strategy.

National context

Sport England: A Sporting Habit for Life (2012-2017)

In 2017, five years after the Olympic Games, Sport England aspires to transforming sport in England so that it is a habit for life for more people and a regular choice for the majority. Launched in January 2012 the strategy sets out how Sport England will invest over one billion pounds of National Lottery and Exchequer funding during the five year plan period. The investment will be used to create a lasting community sport legacy by growing sports participation at the grassroots level following the 2012 London Olympics. The strategy will:

 See more people starting and keeping a sporting habit for life  Create more opportunities for young people  Nurture and develop talent  Provide the right facilities in the right places  Support local authorities and unlock local funding  Ensure real opportunities for communities

The vision is for England to be a world leading sporting nation where many more people choose to play sport. There are five strategic themes including:

 Maximise value from current NGB investment  Places, People, Play  Strategic direction and market intelligence  Set criteria and support system for NGB 2013-17 investment  Market development

The aim by 2017 is to ensure that playing sport is a lifelong habit for more people and a regular choice for the majority. A specific target is to increase the number of 14 to 25 year olds playing sport. To accomplish these aims the strategy sets out a number of outcomes:

 4,000 secondary schools in England will be offered a community sport club on its site with a direct link to one or more NGBs, depending on the local clubs in a school’s area.  County sports partnerships will be given new resources to create effective links locally between schools and sport in the community.  All secondary schools that wish to do so, will be supported to open up, or keep open, their sports facilities for local community use and at least a third of these will receive additional funding to make this happen.  At least 150 further educational colleagues will benefit from a full time sports professional who will act as a College Sport Maker.  Three quarters of university students aged 18-24 will get the chance to take up a new sport or continue playing a sport they played at school or college.  A thousand of our most disadvantaged local communities will get a Door Step Club.  Two thousand young people on the margins of society will be supported by the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust into sport and to gain new life skills.  Building on the success of the Places People Play, a further £100 million will be invested in facilities for the most popular sports.  A minimum of 30 sports will have enhanced England Talent Pathways to ensure young people and others fulfil their potential.

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National Planning Policy Framework

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out planning policies for England. It details how these changes are expected to be applied to the planning system. It also provides a framework for local people and their councils to produce distinct local and neighbourhood plans, reflecting the needs and priorities of local communities.

The NPPF states the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. It identifies that the planning system needs to focus on three themes of sustainable development: economic, social and environmental. A presumption in favour of sustainable development is a key aspect for any plan-making and decision-taking processes. In relation to plan-making the NPPF sets out that Local Plans should meet objectively assessed needs.

The ‘promoting healthy communities’ theme identifies that planning policies should be based on robust and up-to-date assessments of the needs for open space, sports and recreation facilities and opportunities for new provision. Specific needs and quantitative and qualitative deficiencies and surpluses in local areas should also be identified. This information should be used to inform what provision is required in an area.

As a prerequisite the NPPF states existing open space, sports and recreation sites, including playing fields, should not be built on unless:

 An assessment has been undertaken, which has clearly shown that the site is surplus to requirements.  The loss resulting from the proposed development would be replaced by equivalent or better provision in terms of quantity and quality in a suitable location.  The development is for alternative sports and recreational provision, the needs for which clearly outweigh the loss.

In order for planning policies to be ‘sound’ local authorities are required to carry out a robust assessment of need for open space, sport and recreation facilities. The methodology to undertake such assessments should be informed by best practice including Sport England’s Guidance ‘Developing a Playing Pitch Strategy’ and ‘Assessing Needs and Opportunities: A Companion Guide to PPG17’. Despite PPG17 being replaced by the NPPF, the Companion Guide still offers relevant guidance about undertaking a needs assessment.

A Sporting Future for the Playing Fields of England

It is Sport England’s policy to object to any planning application, which will result in the loss of a playing field, unless it meets one of five exceptions as defined in ‘A Sporting Future for the Playing Fields of England’. Protection of playing fields was enhanced in 1998 with Circular 9/98 (replaced in 2009 by Circular 02/09), which stipulates that where a local authority is minded to grant planning permission against Sport England’s advice on land owned by a local authority or used for educational purposes, then the application should be referred to the relevant Government Office for possible ‘call in’.

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The FA National Game Strategy (2011 – 2015)

The Football Association’s (FA) National Game Strategy provides a strategic framework that sets out key priorities, expenditure proposals and targets for the national game (i.e., football) over a four year period. The main issues facing grassroots football are identified as:

 Growth and retention (young and adult players)  Raising standards and behaviour  Better players  Running the game  Workforce  Facilities

‘The National Game Strategy’ reinforces the urgent need to provide affordable, new and improved facilities in schools, clubs and on local authority sites. Over 75% of football is played on public sector facilities. The leisure budgets of most local authorities have been reduced over recent years, resulting in decaying facilities that do not serve the community and act as a disincentive to play football. The loss of playing fields has also been well documented and adds to the pressure on the remaining facilities to cope with the demand, especially in inner city and urban areas.

The growth of the commercial sector in developing custom built five-a-side facilities has changed the overall environment. High quality, modern facilities provided by Powerleague, Goals and playfootball.net for example, have added new opportunities to participate and prompted a significant growth in the number of five-a-side teams in recent years.

The FA National Facilities Strategy (2013 – 2015)

The recently launched National Facilities Strategy sets out the FA’s long term vision for development of facilities to support the National Game. It aims to address and reflect the facility needs of football within the National Game. The National Game is defined as all non- professional football from Steps 1-7 of the National League System down to recreational football played on open public space. The role of facilities will be crucial in developing the game in England. One of the biggest issues raised from ‘the Big Grassroots Football Survey’ by that of 84% respondents, was ‘poor facilities’.

The FA’s vision for the future of facilities in England is to build, protect and enhance sustainable football facilities to improve the experience of the nation’s favourite game. It aims to do this by:

 Building - Provide new facilities and pitches in key locations to FA standards in order to sustain existing participation and support new participation.  Protecting -Ensure that playing pitches and facilities are protected for the benefit of current and future participants.  Enhancing - Invest in existing facilities and pitches, ensuring that participation in the game is sustained as well as expanded.

The Strategy commits to delivering in excess of £150m (through Football Foundation) into facility improvements across the National Game in line with identified priorities:

 Natural grass pitches improved – target: 100  A network of new AGPs built – target 100  A network of refurbished AGPs – target 150  On selected sites, new and improved changing facilities and toilets

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 Continue a small grants programme designed to address modest facility needs of clubs  Ongoing support with the purchase and replacement of goalposts

It also commits to:

 Direct other sources of investment into FA facility priorities  Communicate priorities for investment across the grassroots game on a regular basis  Work closely with Sport England, the Premier League and other partners to ensure that investment is co-ordinated and targeted

England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Champion Counties Strategic Plan 2014 – 2017

The England and Wales Cricket Board unveiled a new strategic plan in May 2013 which seeks to deliver successful England teams at all levels, to produce a vibrant domestic game as well as increasing participation during the period 2014-17. It builds on the 2005 plan, Building Partnerships and the subsequent 2009 initiative, Grounds to Play.

The plan will take advantage of local partnerships developed in earlier plans and support local delivery of priorities through the County network. It targets operational excellence to make maximum use of scarce resources and facilities during a time of economic austerity.

Among the targets set under the four pillars of Effective Governance, Vibrant Domestic Game, Enthusing Participation and Successful England teams, which are relevant to the playing pitch strategy, are:

 An increase in participation as measured by Sport England’s Active People Survey from 183,400 to 197,500  Expand the number of clubs participating in NatWest CricketForce from 2,000 to 2,200  Increase the number of cricket’s volunteers to 80,000 by 2017  Expand the number of participants in women’s and disabilities cricket by 10% by 2017  To increase the number of TwelfthMan members from 220,000 to 250,000 by 2017  Complete an approved Community Engagement programme with all 18 First Class Counties and MCC  For each £1 provided in facility grants through the ‘Sport England Whole Sport Plan Grant Programme’ ensure a multiplier of three with other funding partners  Provide a fund of £8.1m of capital investment to enhance floodlights, sightscreens, replay screens, power sub-stations and broadcasting facilities at First Class County venues  Provide an interest-free loan fund to community clubs of £10 million  Qualify and engage 50 Level 4 coaches to support the development of professional cricketers  Expand the number of coaches who have received teacher level 1, 2 or 3 qualifications to 50,000  Provide a fund of £2 million for community clubs to combat the impact of climate change  Introduce a youth T20 competition engaging 500 teams by 2017

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The Rugby Football Union National Facilities Strategy (2013-2017)

The recently launched RFU National Facility Strategy 2013-2017 provides a framework for development of high-quality, well-managed facilities that will help to strengthen member clubs and grow the game in communities around them. In conjunction with partners, this strategy will assist and support clubs and other organisations, so that they can continue to provide quality opportunities for all sections of the community to enjoy the game. It sets out the broad facility needs of the sport and identifies investment priorities to the game and its key partners. It identifies that with 470 grass root clubs and 1500 players there is a continuing need to invest in community club facilities in order to:

 Create a platform for growth in club rugby participation and membership, especially with a view to exploiting the opportunities afforded by RWC 2015.  Ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of rugby clubs, through supporting not only their playing activity but also their capacity to generate revenue through a diverse range of activities and partnerships.

In summary the priorities for investment which have met the needs of the game for the Previous period remain valid:

 Increase the provision of changing rooms and clubhouses that can sustain concurrent adult and junior male and female activity at clubs  Improve the quality and quantity of natural turf pitches and floodlighting  Increase the provision of artificial grass pitches that deliver wider game development

It is also a high priority for the RFU to target investment in the following:

 Upgrade and transform social, community and catering facilities, which can support the generation of additional revenues  Facility upgrades, which result in an increase in energy-efficiency, in order to reduce the running costs of clubs  Pitch furniture, including rugby posts and pads, pitch side spectator rails and grounds maintenance equipment

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England Hockey (EH)

‘The right pitches in the right places14’

In 2012, EH released its facility guidance which is intended to assist organisations wishing to build or protect hockey pitches for hockey. It identifies that many existing hockey AGPs are nearing the end of their useful life as a result of the installation boom of the 90’s. Significant investment is needed to update the playing stock and protect the sport against inappropriate surfaces for hockey as a result of the rising popularity of AGPs for a number of sports. EH is seeking to invest in, and endorse clubs and hockey providers which have a sound understanding of the following:

 Single System – clubs and providers which have a good understanding of the Single System and its principles and are appropriately places to support the delivery.  ClubsFirst accreditation – clubs with the accreditation are recognised as producing a safe effective and child friendly hockey environment  Sustainability – hockey providers and clubs will have an approved development plan in place showing their commitment to developing hockey, retaining members and providing an insight into longer term goals. They will also need to have secured appropriate tenure.

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APPENDIX 3 – FOOTBALL NON-TECHNICAL SITE ASSESSMENT FORM

Non Technical Visual Quality Assessment - Football Please complete one form per pitch

Site reference: Site Name: 6 figure grid reference Pitch ID(s): Number of pitches on site: Pitch size: (Adult, Youth 11v11, 9v9, 7v7 Mini, 5v5, 7v7) Availability Are any other pitches marked out over this pitch? If yes, please indicate what pitches are overmarked? (i.e. one youth pitch is overmarked on a adult pitch) in Pitch Issues

Weather at time of visit

Pitch Issues:

Assessment Criteria (please rank each of the following aspects for each pitch with an 'X' in the coloured box to the right of the chosen answer) Element (Gathered via a non technical site assessment) Rating Guidance notes Comments

Playing surface

Grass Cover Good >80% Standard 60-80% Poor <60% Walk through the middle of the pitch Does the pitch meet The FA minimum size? Yes - as per the largest size allowed Within FA recommended guidelines No See size chart below for recommended dimensions Slope of pitch (gradient and cross fall) Flat Moderate Severe Length of grass Good Too long Too short Good 30mm-50mm, Too long 51mm plus, Too short, 29mm less Eveness of pitch Good Adequate Poor Problem Areas: Evidence of dog fouling/glass/litter/vehicle None Yes - some Yes - lots tracks

Problem Areas: Evidence of unofficial use/damage to the None Yes - some Yes - lots surface

Problem Areas: Evidence of poor drainage No evidence of standing water or poor drainage Some evidence of poor drainage Yes, poor drainage Maintenance programme Preview (information from maintenance schedule or grounds team) Section total Are any of the items applied to the pitches during the course of the season to support the maintenance Grass cutting Yes, as required Yes, but not frequent enough No

Seeded Yes, as required Not known No

Aerated (per year) Three or more times Once/ twice No

Sand dressed Within the last 12 months Within the last 12 months No

Fertilised Within the last 12 months Within the last 12 months No

Weed killed Within the last 12 months Within the last 12 months No

Section total

NB If none of this information is provided you should assume that only the grass is being cut and the rest of the maintenance items should be marked with the lowest score option.

PITCH SCORE 0.0% RATING Poor

Built facilities Quality (the following information will provide a quality rating for the changing room and ancillary facilities) Comments

Is there a clubhouse on site? Yes No

Is there a kitchen or bar within the clubhouse? Yes No

Is there a set of changing rooms for the pitch? Yes No

Quality of the changing accommodation (exterior)? Good Adequate Poor

Quality of changing accommodation (interior)? Good Adequate Poor

Shower provision Self contained in dressing rooms Communal None

Is there dedicated toilets for players? Self contained in dressing rooms Communal player toilets None

Is there an officials changing room? Yes, with dedicated toilet/shower Yes, but shared toilet/shower No

Is there access to dedicated spectator toilets? Yes No

Is there a dedicated medical room? Yes No

Are accessible (DDA compliant) facilities provided? Yes No DDA compliant

Is appropriate car parking available? Yes No

Is there a boundary fence preventing unauthorised access? Yes No

Section total

BUILT FACILITIES QUALITY SCORE 0.0% Poor

Ancillary Issues:

Pitch ancillary facilities (The following information does not influence the site assessments but is valuable for when discussing site by site action plans)

Are goalposts safe? Yes No Goalposts should comply with British Standards. A Code of Practice BS 8461 has also been completed and copies of all of these three standards are available from the British Standards Institute. Is the pitch floodlit? Yes No

Is there a perimeter rail around the pitch? Yes No eg: stadia rail ideally 1.1m high

Is there a covered stand? Yes No For spectators to watch

Pitch size guidance SAVE this completed form with an appropriate name Age Format Pitch size (yards) Maximum Goal Size (feet) BEFORE clicking one of the two buttons below. (maximum CLEAR FORM format but for next Site can play (completely clears ALL fields on the form) smaller numbers) CLEAR FORM U7 5 v 5 30x20 to 40x30 12 x 6 Scoring: for next Pitch on this Site (clears ONLY the Pitch fields on the form, U8 5 v 5 30x20 to 40x30 12 x 6 100% - 75% Good leaving the Site fields intact) U9 7 v 7 50x30 to 60x40 12 x 6 74.9% - 50% Standard U10 7 v 7 50x30 to 60x40 12 x 6 49.9% - 0% Poor

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APPENDIX 4 – CRICKET NON-TECHNICAL SITE ASSESSMENT FORM

Non Technical Visual Quality Assessment - Cricket Please complete one form per pitch

Site reference Site Name 6 figure grid reference No of Pitches: Pitch ID No of wickets: Natural Non turf Weather at time of visit: Availability Community Use - used, Community Use - unused, No Community Use, Available but Unused General comments/observations

*You will need a cricket ball and ruler to assess wicket quality as indicated

Assessment Criteria (please rank each of the following aspects for each pitch with an 'X' in the coloured box to the right of the chosen answer).

Element Rating Guidance notes Site comments (use the guidance notes to help complete)

About the cricket outfield Grass coverage Good Acceptable Poor <80% falls below the ECB basic standard Length of grass Good Acceptable Poor Ideally 12mm - 25mm Evenness Even Uneven Ball should run without deviation or ramp Evidence of Dog fouling/glass/stones/litter? None Yes Immediate action May also wish to refer to user survey. If yes, refer to required contractor/site manager Evidence of Unofficial use? None Yes Immediate action eg informal, casual use, unbooked use, kids kickabout etc. May required also wish to refer to user survey. If yes, refer to contractor/site Evidence of Damage to surface? None Yes Immediate action eg from vermin/animals - rabbit, gulls and foxes etc may also required wish to refer to user survey Artificial Wickets section total Is the wicket and surrounds married in Yes No There should be no trip points Evenness of wicket Even Uneven There should be no contours in surface levels Stump holes Yes No Should be no wider than a standard cricket ball Moss or materials in the surface Yes No There should be none Rips or surface lifting Yes No If “yes” contact site manager Surface worn in high traffic areas - creases Yes No If “yes” contact site manager Hardness - does the ball rebound when thrown straight down? Yes No Grass Wickets section total Presence of line markings Yes No Evidence of rolling Yes No i.e. is wicket smooth and uniform Evidence of straight cut and height Yes No 3mm on match wicket/12mm rest of square Evidence of repair work on old wickets Yes No Grass coverage (square and wickets) Yes No Scale: 80%+ = Yes, 80%> = No Please note that <80% falls below the ECB basic standard Hardness - does a cricket ball thrown straight down into the surface Yes No rebound/bounce? Changing/ Pavilion section total Umpires provision Yes No Toilets Yes No Hot/cold water Yes No Heating Yes No Condition of building Good Acceptable Requires attention

Non Turf Cricket Practice Nets section total Is the wicket and surrounds married in (no trip points) Yes No Evenness of wicket (no contours in surface levels) Even Uneven Stump holes (no wider than a standard cricket ball) Yes No Moss or materials in the surface (should be none) Yes No No rips or surface lifting Yes No Surface worn in high traffic areas - crease Yes No Hardness - does the ball rebound when thrown straight down Yes No Is the steel frame/ posts upright? Yes No Ideally assessed with a spirit level but can be achieved by eye.

Are steel cross members detached? Yes No Are all posts and net fixings in place? Yes No Can a ball pass through any part of the netting? Yes No Is appropriate safety/ supervisory signage present? Yes No section total Maximum score 180 Scoring Score Percentage Facility Present? Potential Rating: Poor Score Outfield 0 0% No Artificial Wickets 0 0% No Grass Wickets 0 0% No SAVE this completed form with an appropriate name Changing/Pavilion 0 0% No BEFORE clicking one of the two buttons below. Non Turf Practice 0 0% No CLEAR FORM Overall score 0 0% for next Site (completely clears ALL fields on the form)

CLEAR FORM Rating: <=50% Poor for next Pitch on this Site 51-80% Standard (clears ONLY the Pitch fields on the form, >81% Good leaving the Site fields intact)

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