Finsbury Park Track and club house- ideas urgently needed for sources of income

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Permalink Reply by Omotn on August 20, 2011 at 10:20

A few suggestions:

1. Numerous facilities in Haringey are under threat of closure, to quote just one example The Jamboree Playhut http://opinion8.ning.com/forum/topics/potential-closure-of-jamboree which is actually in Finsbury Park - allowing such a facility/ies to use the building should be profitable. 
2. Haringey is planning to introduce paid for five-a-side football in the park - this will require a base for charging and changing - this should also be run at commercial rates - basing the management team in the clubhouse may well work and bring in an income.. 
3. In the wake of the Tottenham and Wood Green disturbances youth provision must surely be a priority for the community if not for the council. Community initiatives are beginning to happen , for examplehttp://opinion8.ning.com/events/public-meeting-a-response-to-the-ri... this meeting may well lead to some sort of activity / mentoring / whatever - a building in the middle of a park, with associated rooms and sports facilities may well be suitable for some such activities.

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Permalink Reply by matt on August 20, 2011 at 12:34

Ask Lord Coe for legacy funding. We could send some youth down to ask him nicely. Maybe Lammy would support this initiative? Legacy doesn't just have to be about the 'five boroughs'

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Permalink Reply by Omotn on August 20, 2011 at 12:53

I wrote to Lord Coe, and he also contributed to the Sky Sports broadcast based around Finsbury Park Track. The Lord Coe interview can be seen on this link which Hugh has referred to in his piece on the closure. Coe's comments come at about 3m25s. Essentially he takes the approach, both in his reply to me, and in the TV clip, of Pontius Pilate, saying that the legacy is nothing to do with him, it's all down to the boroughs. In fact to pay for the new buildings and to train elite athletes rather less money is now available for grass roots athletics.

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Permalink Reply by matt on August 20, 2011 at 17:35

OK, links above don't work but clearly you've tried the obvious route already, the one about legacy, looking more like a fib as we get closer to the starter gun.

 

Did you see the strange half hour question and (supposedly) answer session on TV recently with Borris & Coe in the hot seats, in front of a live audience. It was chaired by Gavin Esler and went out last week of July. The audience gave Borris & Coe a really hard time. Esler kept cutting off Coe from giving his answers. At one point Coe almost completely lost it. It was a strange show but one that showed all is not so well with these Olympics, including the 'legacy' disappearing trick.

 

Big Lottery? 

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Permalink Reply by Omotn on August 20, 2011 at 23:44

Thank you for the suggestions - I will copy and paste onto the Heathside site and email to soem of the committee

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Permalink Reply by Hugh on August 20, 2011 at 21:57

Adrian, Wouldn't this be an ideal time to shine a little light on the youth angle? Sports mentoring etc?

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Permalink Reply by Omotn on August 21, 2011 at 0:14

Hugh, this angle did feature strongly in my letter to Lord Coe. I hope it has featured in Heathside's presentations to Haringey. If a case were being made for not closing the track this would be a powerful argument, but as the request for ideas states, Heathside are now looking for a costed plan to operate the track as a business. Providing mentoring/training/coaching would probably be a cost in such a plan, rather than a revenue.

Perhaps the youth sports angle could be raised at Tuesday's meeting which has been mentioned both on Hol and OpinioN8. The YMCA are formally represented and do much to promote sport as a pastime for youth. Heathside use the Harringay Club (A YMCA site and the venue for Tuesday's meeting) as a training base. It may be possible to join up some dots to make a coherent picture.

 

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