Historic Stafford club call on public for support

The club's 250-strong membership could be under threat after planning permission for a new artificial hockey pitch at their Riverway base was refused by Stafford Borough Council.

Club secretary Guy Seaton revealed to the Express & Star that two bodies – Stafford Borough Council Leisure and Sport England – are saying the application is premature.

The club's planning application was taken to the borough council, where the plans were then sent for consultation to the local public, the leisure department at the borough council and Sport England.

Sport England then consult with who they term to be interested parties. They decided on Staffs FA, Staffs Rugby Football Union, England and Wales Cricket Board and England Hockey

The leisure department of the borough council turned down the application, as did all strands of Sport England – other than England Hockey.

A new playing surface would secure a more stable future for the club with the facilities available throughout the year.

The hockey section of the club play their matches at Beaconside Sports Complex on the Staffordshire University campus.

It has recently been bought out by Chinese investors and will no longer be available from June 2017.

But the decision to turn down the application has rocked the club and thrown their future into doubt as it would leave the hockey team without a home pitch.

Seaton said: "We just need more and better facilities, as a club we want to grow but, unfortunately, it seems like it's going the other way. We don't know the reason, people can come to their own conclusions.

"If the hockey club ceased to exist, that would have a massive knock-on effect on the cricket with the lack of membership fees and things like that."

Riverside does not just play host to the hockey and cricket, as St Leonards Rugby Club, Stafford Archers and Stafford Harriers Running Club also use the facilities.

Seaton said: "The situation makes you want to shake your head in disbelief. All we can do is keep fighting.

"We've been told to give Beaconside three months to come to a decision with the council and the new owners. Obviously we hope that they can keep it open."

Part of the fighting from the club's corner was to launch an online petition, which has so far gathered 1,150 signatures.

The club' boasts a rich history with numerous successes along the way.

Having being formed in 1864, they celebrated their 150th anniversary in 2014 and are believed to be the oldest sports club in Stafford.

Records of the cricket's side date base to 1889 where at Lammascotes, their former home, the side played against a Burton outfit that included then Australian star Fred Spofforth – a notorious fast bowler.

Spofforth smashed through the Stafford side but the match proved a turning part for the club, who moved to their new ground – the Hough – the following year.

Aside from World War One and Two, where several members were in the forces and cricket was suspended, the club mixed it with the best that Birmingham and Staffordshire could offer.

Following the end of the second World War, where a number of sides uprooted to the Birmingham League, Stafford moved to the Staffordshire Club Championship.

The club featured there until 1979, when members decided to accept an invitation into the South Staffordshire and North Cheshire League.

The recent league proposals announced that in 2016, Stafford will be competing in Division Four of the South Staffordshire and North Cheshire League.

Stafford Hockey Club, believed to have been formed some 10 years after the cricket side, rose to prominence in the 1950's, where in the 1955/56 season they were widely-noted as the premier side in the Midlands.

In that season, the club played 23 games – winning 22 and drawing just one. They scored 87 goals on route, conceding just 20.

Hockey members have travelled to Dorset every year for half-a-century to compete in the Weymouth Festival, they also play tournaments in Milton Keynes and Harrogate.

The two clubs amalgamated in 1965 with the idea of securing satisfactory facilities for both moving forward. In the decades to follow, and particularly in recent times, both sides of the club have flourished.

The hockey section has five male and five ladies' teams, while the cricket club boasts five Saturday sides as well as two on a Sunday.

The club has members ranging from the age of nine up to 70. The petition is on the club's website at www.staffordcricketclub.co.uk.