VV WEB FINAL April 18

Village Voice April/May 2018
P&TG
FOOTBALL CLUB
Dear VV Readers,
In the last edition of VV, a letter was printed
about the Football Club from “name and
address” supplied. That letter, we believe,
contained false information, mischevious
misleading comments and omitted relevant
information. This has caused major upset to our
membership and the wider village community,
and we would like to respond as follows:
'The P&TG Football club has a proud
tradition of serving the village and its
surrounding areas, and has done so for the last
112 years. Sadly, in recent years, a minority in
the village, have gone out of their way to try and
dismantle those 112 years of service to the
community by representing what we see are
outdated, sometimes insular views and seem to
default by objecting to everything we try to do
as a club for the community we serve.
In making our planning application, we did
not set out to indulge our senior teams but to
maintain the status at the top of the football
pyramid which is realistic and achievable for
this club, so that junior players can progress
through the club in a friendly, safe environment.
Our players are coached by unpaid volunteers
who are qualified coaches.
Our aim is to provide the opportunity for
players to progress through the junior ranks,
play for our senior teams and thus remain as
part of this community.
The First Team of P&TGFC have won their
league for the last two years and the Reserves
have won the County Cup twice three and four
years ago (not to mention the titles won by
various of our junior sections, boys and girls)
If our senior team is relegated because we do
not have floodlights, then the club’s status
within the pyramid becomes less attractive to
players looking to stay and play football at this
club. In the football world our name is one
treated with respect and, in some quarters, envy.
Our facilities are complimented by all who visit.
We are humbly proud of these achievements.
We plan to appeal the decision to turn down
our application, the result which was achieved
by the Planning Committee Chairman’s casting
vote - so not unanimously rejected.
Here, we would like to set out to the readers
of VV exactly what we are trying to achieve,
and what measures we have put in place to
minimise the impact of floodlights - respecting
the environment we live in, whilst achieving the
requirements that the FA rules require.
I hope I have managed to convince those who
have been in opposition to our plans, to
reconsider their views, as a result of better
The Facts:
• The new FC lights would be much lower than
the existing training floodlights already in place
• The FC themselves advocated a restricted
usage condition of 9 hours per week
• The lights would be used approx. 5% potential
usage of total hours per week
• Some weeks there would be no floodlight
games at all, so zero usage
• In the summer months from mid-May to the
end of August, zero usage as well
• The Tennis Club flood lights are potentially in
use 6 nights a week - the FC lights would be less
• There will be no change to the club’s facilities,
or increased usage
• The new floodlights would not be used for
mid-week training
• The floodlight specifications are for the most
neighbour friendly retractable floodlights - and
in consequence - the most expensive
• It is FA rules driving this application, otherwise
we would not be instigating such a financial
burden on the club. We have argued our case at
FA meetings without success over the years
• The floodlights we want to install are “AONB
and neighbour friendly” lights
• The lights will NOT spill out light all over the
sky: this has been evaluated by the extensive
light spillage surveys we commissioned. The
spillage will be “1 LUX” or the equivalent of a
candle
22 www.pennandtylersgreen.org.uk