Barnsley Council backs 25-year lease deal to boost grassroots football

The lease, agreed at no cost to the club, will give North Gawber Colliery FC control over almost 10 acres of land at Darton Longfields Recreation Ground, currently maintained by the council. It paves the way for the club to apply for capital funding through the Football Foundation’s Home Advantage programme, which supports grassroots clubs to build and improve sports facilities.

The land, which the club has used under a hire agreement since 2006, currently hosts four football pitches. If the lease goes ahead as planned, the club will become responsible for its upkeep, a role it has already partially undertaken, spending nearly £10,000 annually to improve pitch quality.

Plans outlined by the club include the installation of security fencing, welfare cabins, new storage areas, utility connections, and eventually a new hard-surfaced car park and improved access road. Long-term ambitions include building a multi-purpose clubroom with changing rooms and a kitchen.

The club, which became a Community Amateur Sports Club in 2023, has grown rapidly in recent years. It now runs 18 teams, including junior, female, and walking football, with more than 250 registered players supported by 50 volunteers. It also works closely with Darton Cricket Club, the site’s freeholder, who support the new lease and investment.

Councillors have backed the move, which will see all maintenance and running costs shift from the council to the club. The council expects to save approximately £5,000 a year in groundskeeping costs, although it will lose around £2,000 in pitch hire income.

The new underlease will replace the club’s existing hire and maintenance agreements. Once signed, the club will become fully responsible for the upkeep of the land. Safeguards are in place to ensure that if the club cannot meet its obligations, the Football Foundation as funder will step in to maintain the terms of the investment.

The council has confirmed that the public will still have access to surrounding recreational land, and that the club will remain committed to inclusive access for all ages and backgrounds.

If planning permissions and necessary consents are secured, the site could begin its transformation later this year.