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Sports centre is 'embarrassment'
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| Time for a change?: There are calls for the sports centre to be updated. |
A BARRY sports centre given the royal seal of approval by the Duke of Edinburgh in the 1960s is now 'an embarrassment' to the town.
The Colcot Road Sports Centre, in Barry, whose facilities were provided by Butlins campers' collections and the National Playing Fields Association, used to cater for between 200 and 300 Barry footballers when it opened.
Now, as the headquarters of the Vale of Glamorgan Football League, the centre caters for as many as 4,000 players and officials over the season.
Seventy-eight-year-old John Hardman, a member of the Referees Society and Vice President of the Vale of Glamorgan football league, is calling for a public meeting to be held, and the formation an all-party forum, trust or committee to safeguard the centre's future.
John, who has been campaigning with colleague Chris Dodd, said: "The changing rooms are like the Black Hole of Calcutta.
"At weekends it's overflowing - the referees have to change in the ladies' toilets.
"It's an embarrassment.
"Money has to be spent to improve the rotting, corroding facilities and repair broken heating and showers to comply with Health and Safety measures."
Upgrading as a Community Activity Centre would be the best option, he suggested.
"The climate is right," he added.
"The Vale has its fair share of porkers, and programmes to thin em down is the present-day topic.
"Sport-wise, Wales is on a roll.
"To keep it so we need, particularly in Barry, a better training environment."
The duo are supported in their call for a public meeting by Assembly Member Alun Cairns.
Mr Cairns branded conditions at the centre as 'deplorable and unacceptable'.
He said: "It smacks of something that we could have expected to use in the 19th century.
"What sort of message does the state of the changing rooms and toilets send to visiting teams?
"Hardly a positive image of Barry."
Vale Council operational manager (leisure and tourism) Dave Knevett said the Vale of Glamorgan Council would like to provide quality outdoor changing rooms at all of its football, rugby and cricket facilities.
He added: "New changing rooms have been built at Parc Bryn Y Don in Dinas Powys, and the council is aware that the changing facilities at Barry Sports Centre need to be replaced.
"The issue of the changing rooms was raised at the recent State of the Area Debates, and councillors have offered to meet with users of the centre to discuss their needs.
"The council is very committed to the Barry Sports Centre and has just been praised for the quality of the artificial turf pitch there, which was described as the premier facility of its type in South Wales."
7:25am Thursday 27th March 2008
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