Whilst it is unfortunate that the city, especially the school and nearby colleges, will now not reap the benefits of this development, the HFA can offer reassurance that it remains committed to delivering a much-needed facility that the community of Herefordshire can access in the near future.
The HFA has looked at several sites over recent years to address the county’s desperate need for more AGP pitches, with Aylestone School being the most recent site. Officers will now look for potential new sites, as well as re-visiting previously explored projects, to assess if their viability has changed.
The number of postponed matches and training sessions in the past season alone has clearly evidenced the requirement for further AGPs in this county.
The HFA has previously explored a number of options prior to the Aylestone project, including the likes of Aylestone Park and the Racecourse, all of which had serious constraints preventing their development. A partnership with Aylestone School would have enabled the facility to be utilised in the day as well as evening, which would have been a major asset to the children of the school and surrounding ward.
It is therefore disappointing that the opposition of a small number of vocal, local residents – who were sharing incorrect information to support their complaints - has prevented the development of a facility which would have benefitted a huge number of children and adults in the city of Hereford.
While this outcome is a major frustration to HFA and Aylestone School, as well as the wider football community of Herefordshire, the HFA remains focused on finding a location to deliver this project as a part of our commitment to the Football Association’s national plan, which highlights the desperate need for more facilities of this kind in our county.
The Herefordshire Football Association and Aylestone School would like to thank the huge number of people who offered their support for this project, having seen what a positive opportunity it was for both organisations and, more importantly, the community as a whole.