Council plans to make Barry RFC more independent
Barry RFC may soon be able to operate more independently after the Vale of Glamorgan Council agreed to transfer land to the club and alter lease arrangements.
The move, part of a wider Council plan to make sports clubs more self-sufficient, will offer such organisations greater opportunity to obtain external funding.
Talks along the same lines with other rugby clubs are also taking place after all bowls clubs in the County switched to this model a couple of years ago.
Barry RFC has asked for a long-term 99-year lease on their primary pitch and an extension to the clubhouse lease to cover the same period.
Licences for the other pitches are also being discussed along with a request for the car park to be upgraded before the club assumes management responsibilities.
Under proposals, a footpath that currently runs through the ground would be rerouted, and, as this land is currently designated as public open space, the Council has launched a consultation on this issue.
Regardless of the outcome of the public consultation process, members of the public will still be able to access areas of the field for their recreation.
Cllr Kathryn McCaffer, Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet member for Arts, Leisure and Culture, said: “This is an important development in our approach to how sports club facilities are manged in the Vale.
“Making them the responsibility of individual clubs not only gives those clubs more control over how they are run, but, by reducing the level of subsidy, also saves the Council money at a time of significant final pressures.
“This model has proved successful for bowls clubs and we see no reason why that should not also be the case with other sporting organisations.
“It provides clubs with greater autonomy over how they operate and a chance to pursue more varied financial opportunities while securing the facility for future uses.”
Barry RFC chairman Jon Venners said: “This will go down in the history of our club as a monumental step forward for Barry RFC in securing rugby at Reservoir Field for future generations.
“I’d like to thank Cllr McCaffer for her help and support in driving this matter forward.
“This agreement is the result of two years of negotiations by a club team featuring myself, former chairman Mike Prosser and Nick Rolfe, who have worked tirelessly to get it over the line.
“It will enable Barry RFC to be in a much stronger position for grants and funding in taking the club forward in the 21st century.”