Sports facilities in Sheffield?Time for action

[RJRB]

All the talk is about encouragement for the public to participate in sport but all I see is the restriction and closure of existing sports facilities.

In recent weeks we have been warned of the closure of Don Valley,Stocksbridge Leisure Centre.These might be the headline grabbing items but there are numerous other closure and cutbacks affecting minor sports and activities.

It has just been announced that the Firth Rixson sports club is to close,and just down the road Outokumpu's club was sold off to Rotherham United.These were among the last of the many works based sorts clubs in Sheffield which provided facilities for many activities.

I suppose we have to acknowledge that there is not the same level of demand for participation in sport as in the past,and that we no longer have the large profitable organisations who can support their own clubs.

However,there is still a considerable demand for any sports and I wish that a coordinated could provide complexes to cater for these.

What do we need?

Outdoor facilities for football,cricket,rugby,hockey,tennis

Maintenance of existing greens for Crown Green Bowling.

Indoor facilities for swimming,badminton,bowling,table tennis, gyms and fitness training.

To my mind it is so important to encourage sport for all and to provide the facilities for people of all ages to participate or spectate.

I acknowledge that perhaps we cannot support all the small individual clubs that have existed in the past,but we do need a coordinated plan for the future if there is any truth in the "Sheffield City of Sport " tag line.

[S8gardener]

I like football as much as the next person, but it frustrates me to see how blinkered we are becoming to other sports. As you say many sports facilities are getting less profitable and are being snapped up by football teams, so eliminating the chance to be part of another type of sport. Sport has always been a good way of bringing people together, broadening horizons, breaking down barriers and releasing tension built up from an unfulfilling job. What will we turn into without these sports facilities?