Sporting chance

WHAT better way to show a commitment to the sporting future of Newark and the surrounding area than to take a stake in it?

The Newark Sports Association (NSA) a registered charity, is pushing ahead with plans for a sports hub on land at the end of Elm Avenue.

The association wants to encourage more people to take up recreational and competitive sport.

The hub would have artificial and natural pitches — one with a grandstand — indoor and outdoor tennis and netball courts, a cycle track and athletics track. Other sports could also be catered for.

The NSA will be seeking grants towards the estimated £5m cost of the complex.

Sports clubs involved in the project will apply for grants from their governing bodies.

The association will also organise fundraising, but as part of its commitment to work for the benefit of the community, it will offer local sports clubs, organisations, businesses and individuals the chance to contribute by taking community shares.

These plans may be ambitious but an overhaul of local sports facilities is long overdue.

It’s wrong that some clubs carrying the Newark name have to compete and train outside the town.

Local sport is supported by an army of volunteers and it is they who will play the leading role in a project that will truly build on the Olympic legacy.

Newark has a rich sporting history, but the sports hub project is about looking forward and providing facilities fit for future generations.

The project, through the work of the NSA, is off to an encouraging start and deserves our full support.