I still want a football academy - club boss
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MANSFIELD Town FC bosses insist they are still pushing ahead with plans to build a multi-million pound football academy in Skegby.
The club was given the green light to create the state-of-the-art centre of excellence between Beck Lane and Mansfield Lane in 2002 –– but building work on the major project has yet to begin.
Yesterday, Stags officials insisted they were working hard to get the scheme off the ground and were in talks with a number of organisations to secure financial support.
Said Stags chief executive Keith Haslam: "It is just subject to getting the funding in place. We are in discussion with other bodies."
He stressed that the final details of the scheme would depend on how much funding they could gain –– but it could eventually boast an indoor football pitch, gymnasium, therapy pool and outdoor pitches.
The original application was referred to the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM) because the proposals did not fit in with Ashfield District Council's Local Plan, which guides development in the area. GOEM later decided there was no need for a public inquiry, meaning the plans could go ahead.
Last year, club bosses signed a deal with the council which guarantees local youngsters and community groups will also be able to use the facilities once they are built.
Yesterday, Stags officials insisted they were working hard to get the scheme off the ground and were in talks with a number of organisations to secure financial support.
Said Stags chief executive Keith Haslam: "It is just subject to getting the funding in place. We are in discussion with other bodies."
He stressed that the final details of the scheme would depend on how much funding they could gain –– but it could eventually boast an indoor football pitch, gymnasium, therapy pool and outdoor pitches.
The original application was referred to the Government Office for the East Midlands (GOEM) because the proposals did not fit in with Ashfield District Council's Local Plan, which guides development in the area. GOEM later decided there was no need for a public inquiry, meaning the plans could go ahead.
Last year, club bosses signed a deal with the council which guarantees local youngsters and community groups will also be able to use the facilities once they are built.