Story by Emilio Mussi
Burngreave FC have started a petition to keep the PowerLeague Woodbourn stadium open.
Sheffield PowerLeague Woodbourn stadium (often known as Pitz) is due to close in January 2019.
The venue has contributed to keeping kids off streets and participating in sport with its community-based ethos and affordability. It is more crucial than ever to be keeping young people away from gang violence and off the streets. The petition is to be presented to Sheffield full council in November and Hallam University, who own the stadium where the endangered pitches are located.
The petition was started by Yasar Mohammed, manager of Burngreave FC and Ellesmere Road Post Office. He told us:
“I started the petition because PITZ is very important to the people of the area. It’s where we can go at reasonable cost. Moreover, that’s not just for people from Burngreave; there are loads from Darnall and other areas as well. “Sheffield Hallam University own the athletics stadium the pitches are located, and we want to make sure that they continue to allow the community to use the space, and that they don’t price us out of it.”
The group is set to close 13 sites through its Company Voluntary Arrangement – a procedure used by firms to close struggling units. 109 jobs are likely to be lost, but PowerLeague expects to keep the sites listed for closure open until January.
The company has suffered from declining revenues and insufficient funds to meet lease obligations. PowerLeague own 440 pitches across 49 sites across Europe and directly employs over 580 people.
The petition can be signed at https://tinyurl.com/SavePITZ
