Over the coming month's we hope to keep you up to date with the proposed new development at the Duke's house site. This is an exciting project for the club which will ensure the club's future for years to come.

Hexham Juniors Net Football Foundation Grant

13:20 GMT, Friday, 08 August 08.

Funding Hexham Juniors Football Club and Tynedale Council are celebrating following the award of a £463,815 grant by the Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports charity. The cash bonanza will allow Tynedale Council to develop two new natural turf football pitches, a practice pitch and a changing pavilion at DukesHouse Wood in Hexham, designed for junior football. The scheme will specifically cater for children from the under eight age group up to the under 16s. It fulfils a long established need for football facilities in the Hexham area, as identified in Tynedale’s Open Space, Sport and Recreation strategy and its Playing Pitch strategy.

The project has been led by Tynedale Council through a strong partnership with Hexham Football Club, North Country Leisure (NCL) Tynedale and the Northumberland Football Association. The new facility will enable a comprehensive coaching, training and competitive football programme to be offered through the junior section of Hexham Football Club.

Jon Armstrong who deals with Hexham Football Club’s development plan said: "The Football Club in Hexham is particularly delighted to receive this news. The commitment of Tynedale Council, North Country Leisure (NCL) Tynedale, the Northumberland FA and local Councillors should not go unrecognised in this respect. All the people who have worked hard behind the scenes on this project will be rewarded by the fact that they have helped secure a fit for purpose football facility for junior and youth football serving the local community for the foreseeable future. The players and parents of all current Hexham FC team members should take pride in the fact that their own fundraising efforts have contributed to the enablement of this vision. As a local football club we have been particularly impressed by the advice offered by the Northumberland FA along with the guidance provided by the regional FA representatives. It's been a tough slog, well worth it, but the real work starts soon"

Tynedale Council has agreed to contribute £200,000 to the scheme, and has allocated a further £123,517 from its Housing Developers’ Fund for Sport, with approximately £20,000 being raised by Hexham Football Club, together with contributions from Northumberland County Council through its Members’ Local Improvement Scheme. The total project cost is around £810,000.

Cllr Mrs Fiona Hunter, portfolio holder for tourism, leisure and culture at Tynedale Council said: “The Football Foundation funding will now enable a much needed new facility to go ahead, providing increased opportunities for the local community to participate in sport, as well as encouraging health and fitness. It will also benefit children from outside the area through its proximity to the Kingswood outdoor activity centre.”

North Country Leisure (Tynedale) is playing a crucial role in helping with the club’s football development plan, and will support club and activity development through its sports development team. NCL’s chief executive John Maude said: “We are delighted with the award. It will be a great boost for junior football in the area.”

The Football Foundation is dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of the game, constructing modern football facilities, developing football as a force for social cohesion and as a vehicle for education in communities throughout the country. Funded by the Premier League, The Football Association and the Government, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity with a £45m budget going straight into the heart of football.

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation said: “We warmly congratulate the club and the Northumberland County FA for their hard work and dedication in securing this award.

“Sport is playing a central role in helping people to stay fit, strengthen communities and promote responsibility amongst young people. I am delighted that Football Foundation investment is opening up access to sport in Hexham and encourage other organisations in the region to apply to us.”

Alan Wright, President of Northumberland Football Association added:
“We work hard as a county football association to get better facilities for clubs and are delighted to see further opportunities for young players coming to the west division.”

Tynedale Council will sub lease the development site from outdoor activity operators Kingswood, who are responsible for the overall management of the site.

Mervyn Turner development manager from Kingswood added: “Kingswood are delighted to be working with the Council in the delivery of this important sports facility for the benefit of the local community. Co-locating the junior football pitches next to our newly refurbished Dukeshouse Wood centre will ensure the pitches are of the benefit of the whole community for many years to come"

Work is expected to start in September 2008, with the new facilities available for the 2009/10 season.

By Autumn 2009 the football facility at DukesHouse Wood will cater for upwards of 220 young footballers, increasing to over 250 by 2012, comprising players of all ages and abilities drawn from Hexham and the surrounding areas.

(From Tynedale Council Press Release)

Joint press release from

Jon Armstrong Hexham Juniors FC; and

Councillor Derek Kennedy Hexham West

30 May 2009 

Gift of light for Hexham Juniors FC

In 6 short years the Hexham Juniors Football Club has made significant progress both on an off the field. As the club advances towards a long held ambition for junior football in Hexham, having a place Junior Football can call ‘home’, Northumberland County Councillor Derek Kennedy of Hexham West has stepped in to back the club’s ambition and effort by allocating almost £10,000 from the Council’s Local Improvement Scheme Fund to the DukesHouse Wood Development.  This contribution will be used specifically to provide the floodlighting for the training pitch at DukesHouse Wood.

The development at DukesHouse Wood has been almost two years in the planning and a significant amount of time and resource has been invested in the project by Tynedale District Council, Tynedale Leisure and the Football Club. When complete the facility will provide first class playing, training and changing facilities for both youth and junior football teams from within the town and wider community. By 2009 the Hexham Football Club estimate that close on 300 people will be involved in the game in either a playing or coaching capacity. The club will field 18 teams for both boy’s and girls football and is today viewed as one of the largest local football clubs in Northumberland. Having achieved Development status under the Football Association’s Charter Standard scheme the club now boasts 21 qualified football coaches and the facility at DukesHouse, once complete, will give junior Football in Hexham the home it has craved for so long. The facility will also enable the club to progress with it’s football development plans which include player and coach training and education.

Jon Armstrong from the Hexham Football Club commented “I’m delighted that Councillor Derek Kennedy has been able to support this initiative, a worthy project that will deliver so much to young people from both Hexham and the surrounding areas for years to come. Football and sport in general is important for youngsters as they grow and develop as it helps them develop as individuals and as people. I know Councillor Derek Kennedy has been keen to understand the plans that the football club have for the development of football particularly and I think he was surprised to learn that Hexham is in fact one of the largest junior football clubs in Northumberland and has a specific and well documented development plan for football” . 

Councillor Kennedy added “This is so exciting, I’ve been following the progress of Hexham Juniors for some time and I’m so pleased to be able to provide a contribute to the scheme at DukesHouse Wood.  I look forward to seeing the club stage their first game at the new home, hopefully in time for the start of the 2009/10 season, just 16 short months away.”

Thank you  for helping us to achieve our Target

DEREK KENNEDY  Northumberland County Councillor  Hexham West	J.H BURN CHARITY TRUST	W            Wentworth Park                 Hexham

 This is a partnership with Kingswood,Tynedale Council,Lesure Tynedale and the Football Club there is a lot of hard work still to do but the end result will be worth it.

      Thank you  for helping us to achieve our Target

	Proctor & Gamble
	Employee's Charity          Fund	Hexham & Morpeth      Round Table

Reproduced by kind permission of Brian Tilley

Published 2 May 2008

THERE are increasing fears that Hexham’s flagship football development at Dukeshouse Wood could be in difficulty.

For the costs of the vital scheme are ringing alarms at the Football Foundation.

Tynedale Council’s cabinet heard on Thursday that the foundation was unhappy with value for money in the £829,000 scheme, which is costing considerably more than other schemes it had help to finance.

And now, savings are being sought to bring the long-awaited project more into line financially.

The council’s director of culture Lynn Turner told members that while foundation officers remained very supportive of the scheme, they did have concerns about the cost.

Miss Turner explained that the Dukeshouse project was more expensive than most because of its location in the green belt, as well as issues with electricity supply, car parking and the requirements of the lease with site operators Kingswood Leisure.

She said: “We have been asked to go back and see if we can obtain more match funding, and discussions may also have to be held with the contractor Koru to see if there can be any value engineering.

“Koru are happy to have discussions on areas where savings may be found.”

Four contractors had tendered for the contract to develop the site, but only Koru had been interviewed – a fact which alarmed Coun. Terry Robson, of Hexham, especially after specifications had been added to the contract after tenders had been submitted.

He felt other contractors who had tendered – better known than Koru – should be allowed to re-tender out of fairness.

Miss Turner said that Koru had not only provided the lowest tender, but had also provided evidence it would offer the best added value to the scheme.

She explained that an agreed price was required for the Football Foundation bid, but work could not start on site until the application had been considered, and a grant offer received.

This could take several weeks, so the earliest work could start would be the early autumn.

Tynedale had already agreed to pay £170,000 towards the scheme, as well as transferring a further £122,000 from the fund paid for sports provision by housing developers.

The facility would be used by Hexham Football Club, which had a fund-raising target of £20,000.

The club was also in touch with other charitable trusts and foundations, but with limited success so far.

Miss Turner said negotiations were continuing with Kingswood to maximise its contribution to the scheme.

She recommended that a further £30,000 be injected into the scheme from the council’s playing fields capital budget, as well as £1,500 from the housing developers’ fund.

When the scheme was first drawn up it was intended that the football club would take responsibility for the site and its development, running them independently.

However, Kingswood had only agreed the use of the site on the understanding the council held the sub-lease, with the football club using the facilities on a licence basis.

Miss Turner said: “The end result is that the assets belong to the council, and there is a need to ensure they are maintained satisfactorily.”

Maintenance costs were expected to be around £18,000 per year, which would place a considerable burden on the club.

Therefore, it was agreed that the council should take on the management of football facilities in the same way it manages other pitches in its ownership.

It was also agreed that the council should seek savings from Koru, and if a satisfactory deal was not done, to revisit the whole tendering process

5th November 2007
Reproduced by kind permission of Ben Guy & The Journal (Newcastle)

Published 3rd August 2007

Reproduced by kind permission of  the Hexham Courant author Brian Tilley

Hexham's first major football facilities in 20 years have come a step closer.

A £650,000 plan has been prepared to develop new pitches at the Dukeshouse Wood site on the outskirts of the town.

Legal formalities are close to completion, and it is hoped the pitches will be ready in time for the 2009 season.

Tynedale Council’s management board heard on Thursday that architects Crawford Higgins Associates had originally drawn up plans for proposed pitches at Shaws Park at the west end of the town.

However, this scheme had hit problems with land acquisition.

Then outdoor activity group Kingswood took over the redundant Dukeshouse Wood outdoor centre from Gateshead Council.

Kingswood was now keen to sub-lease part of the site to Tynedale for much needed football pitches.

Tynedale Council has already contributed £63,000 towards the scheme, and further funds will be taken from the levy charged on house developers in the district for sports provision.

Councillors agreed that Crawford Higgins were the appropriate firm to carry out the Dukeshouse design work, as they had already done much of the work for the Shaws Park site.

Director of tourism and culture Lynn Turner told the board: “There are real benefits in terms of continuity. It will allow the planned timetable of work to progress, to enable the football facilities to open for the 2009 season.

“Any significant delay at this stage could mean another playing season is lost.”

Coun. Terry Robson, of Hexham, said: “I am delighted with this; we have been trying to get something off the ground for years.

“There has been a dire need for more pitches for many years, and the quick it happens the better.”

Coun. Mrs Anne Dale, of Stocksfield, said: “I am very pleased we aremoving forward with this at long last, because such a huge amount of effort has gone into it.”

It was suggested that sports other than football could be played at Dukeshouse when the facilities were completed, but Coun. Edward Heslop of Colwell, called for restraint.

He said: “We don’t want to kill the goose which lays the golden egg by overusing the pitch. The last thing we want is for people using the pitch to finish up in clarts right up to their eyebrows.”

The Club have been having meetings over the past few months with Tyndale Council, Leisure Tynedale and Crawford Higgins Associates regarding the proposed new development at Dukeshouse Wood. These discussions have now reached a stage where we can now submit plans for approval to the planners. A planning decision is expected by late January 2008. The Football Club have been involved with the project design from the start and it looks like something we can all be proud of and be able to welcome visiting teams to the town, something which we have been unable to do in the past

As plans are being processed we will continue to push forward the project and along with the Council and Leisure Tynedale to look for possible backers who will help us bridge a gap in funding. There will be a meeting of the Council’s Corporate Policy and Management Board hopefully in November 07 to discuss how much extra funding they will be able to help the project with. This means the Club will continue to raise funds over the coming year via a mixture of our own events and through seeking out external sources of funding.

The next major fundraiser will be the band night at the Auction Mart Function suite when Final Collection will again be appearing. If it is as successful as last time it should be a great success.

 Also in 2008 some of the senior team and other age group coaches and friends will be taking to their cycles and completing the Coast to Coast with the hope of attracting sponsors. This will be a shared event with half the amount raised going to the” Butterfly “Charity. This charity is a support group for people who are or have been sufferers of Thyroid Cancer. This group is a local charity who has grown to become well respected throughout the country for their excellent work in this little known illness.