Newport IW FC are having an outstanding season. They currently lie in 2nd place in Wessex League 1, with an equal number of points as league leaders Bemerton. But if they achieve promotion to the Wessex Premier, will the County Town club have a ground to play on that meets Wessex League standards?
Newport play their next home game on Wednesday at East Cowes Vics’ Beatrice Avenue ground, where they spent 2 COVID-hit seasons after leaving St George’s Park in 2019. St George’s is now in disrepair – as our photographs show – and is awaiting demolition to make way for a new retail park.
The reason the Port are unable to play at their new temporary home at Smallbrook Stadium in Ryde is that the stadium’s floodlights only cover the speedway track and not the centre of the pitch. Newport bought Vics’ old floodlights when new ones were installed a season ago, but these are not sufficiently powerful to light the playing surface effectively.
Island Echo understands the cost of purchasing new floodlights to meet Wessex League requirements to be around £27,000, money the club simply don’t have. Tony Wake, chairman of South Coast Leisure and Newport (IoW) FC, is reluctant to spend this amount to ensure evening games can be played at Smallbrook this winter when he has stated that the club will be moving to their new home at the Racecourse for the start of the 2022/23 season.
Lack of suitable floodlighting means not only that the club will be forced to play evening games away from Smallbrook, but also that Saturday games will have to be put back to 14:00 (if the Wessex League agrees). Without such agreement, the Port may have to play their ‘home’ fixtures at their opponents’ grounds.
This is not the only problem to affect Smallbrook Stadium. Work to build a new roundabout on Smallbrook Lane will complicate access. Furthermore, rabbits have dug up the pitch, leading to complaints about the state of the playing surface from a visiting club. The rabbit problem has apparently been dealt with humanely, by placing human hair at the entrance to their burrows, encouraging the animals to lead their lives in the countryside, away from the football/speedway stadium.
Regarding the move to the Racecourse, the club are adamant that this will happen by the end of the summer of next year. But if this is true, why does Newport have the option to extend the lease on Smallbrook for the 2022/23 season?
Island Echo has spoken to Matthew Price, councillor for Farilee and Whippingham. Cllr Price was strongly in favour of Newport FC moving to Seaclose Park, but now this has apparently been ruled as non-viable, he is anxious that the stadium be built at the Whippingham site. Both Seaclose and the Racecourse are in the councillor’s ward.
Cllr Price has said:
“I don’t want the council to drag their heels anymore. They must get their finger out. The contractors are all ready to go. If they start the work on the Racecourse before Christmas, there’s a chance it could be ready for next season. But if not, it won’t happen”.
Matthew was reluctant to say why the stadium couldn’t be built at Seaclose, which is closer to the centre of Newport. He said:
“There was a huge amount of enthusiasm to get it to Seaclose. Way over 90% of the public I was in contact with wanted the stadium to be built there. But I don’t want to put a spanner in the works and jeopardize the project going ahead at the Racecourse by discussing what happened with Seaclose.”
When asked about the attitude of Tony Wake to building the stadium at Seaclose, Cllr Price said:
“Tony Wake was very committed to the Seaclose project. He even offered to put up a bond to enable this to happen. But it was a complicated issue.”
The Port face Infinity in Wessex Division 1 at Smallbrook Stadium on Wednesday (3rd November). Kick-off is at the later time of 20:00.
It’s obvious why they won’t be able to build at Seaclose…… the festival… once again putting profit against locals.
What about the lack of parking and access?
There is quite good access and lots of parking at Seaclose, 280 spaces at Seaclose and Newport Harbour, access into Seaclose park from Fairlee Road and also access from the Harbour…a lost opportunity for Newport
The Festival organisers were fully onboard with the concept
Why not let them stay at St Georges? We don’t want another retail park built there.
Because St Georges Park was built for a higher standard of football and is not viable in the Wessex League. It was too big when it was built, at the time the club had delusions of grandeur.
So what’s the big secret about the reason for not building at Seaclose. Do the council have plans that we’re not allowed to know about.
Just a thought – if the new ground at the Racecourse gets the go ahead would East Cowes Vics sell their ground and co share with Newport thus freeing up the land for more houses to be built. Just a thought.