AMBITIOUS Warrington Town Football Club have unveiled plans for a stadium complex on the former Burtonwood air base site at Omega, which includes an indoor sport and entertainment venue.
The club’s Chief Executive Richard Sutton, who has been driving the plans forward on behalf of the club, said: “We have made no secret of the fact that our ambition is to deliver a Football League status club with the right facilities and a sustainable business model.
“We have looked at other options for relocation which included a possible short-term switch to Wilderspool Stadium, but that did not prove to be viable. Our intention is to make sure that we have the facilities and location to fully realise the town’s potential for Football Development, and that can be fulfilled here as part of a scheme that brings wider facilities into the area.
“We have spent a considerable amount of time looking at various football and other sport stadia facilities and it is clear that the stadiums of the future need to have multiple commercial uses, coupled with a much wider appeal to the local population. Creating a destination is the key.”
The club has enlisted the help of former Manchester United and England legend Bryan Robson (pictured right with Richard Sutton) through his sports consultancy company Bryan Robson Sports. Robson and club officials held talks at Warrington Town Hall recently to outline the club’s aspirations and proposal to relocate to the Omega South site, close to junction 8 of the M62 Motorway.
Robson said: “The club have ambitious plans to develop a new sustainable Stadium complex to help them progress up the Football League structure. I am pleased that my company is assisting the club with such an exciting project which provides a great opportunity for Football Development in the town.”
The proposed scheme includes:
* 5-6000 capacity stadium including Gym and function suites
* Several full size all weather 3G pitches
*A Stadi Arena- An indoor event centre for up to 3-4000 people, hosting concerts, Exhibitions, conferencing and indoor sport.
* An Education unit, which could house a Football University and link with a premier League academy.
* A community hub including Doctors surgery, chemist, Library.
* Affordable housing units within the Stadium structure.
Sutton said: “The plans we have prepared for the Omega site would see the club at the centre of a Sport, Leisure and entertainment facility providing a destination for the whole community. The indoor arena with potential for concerts and exhibitions means this development could become a flagship community facility and one which would not only support the needs of the existing residents but which would help “Sell” Warrington to a wider audience.”
He added: “We have drawn inspiration from our friends at Warrington Wolves who have built up a fantastic sporting brand on the back of a Great new stadium.
Warrington is a town of over 200,000 people and we are confident that with the right facilities and infrastructure, which we will put in place over the next few years, we can give the town another sporting brand to be proud of. There is no reason why this town cannot emulate the likes of Wigan, Huddersfield Bradford and Leeds in sustaining successful Football and Rugby League teams drawing five figure crowds to both.
“The council have been very supportive of the clubs ambitions and the challenge now is to ensure we present a robust business plan that fits in with the overall master plan for the Omega south site.
Along with our consultants Robson Sports, we are making good progress in our efforts to find the right investment partners and we believe that discussions with Miller and the Homes and Communities agency can lead to finding a way forward and we can bring these exciting plans to fruition.”
The club already benefits from the support of two of the town’s major employers as sponsors, United Utilities and the Stobart Group.
Steve Fraser MD at United Utilities, who help sponsor the club’s community development programme, said: “The proposal shows there is a real vision and drive within the club, and the benefits of a development such as this would be a real shot in the arm for the Town. UU are a keen supporter of the clubs Community Development work and we hope to continue the relationship with the Football club as it grows.”
Meanwhile David Pickering, MD of Stobart Group based in Appleton added: “Stobart would be delighted to see such an ambitious development plan come to fruition. One of the reasons Stobart has come on board as a sponsor is that we were very impressed with the determination of the club to move forward and progress on all fronts. There would be no better foundation to do so than from within a facility such as this on the Omega site, which will enhance the regional significance of Warrington as a Town.”
Artists impression of the stadium
Artists impressions of the indoor sports and entertainment arena
5 Comments
Now there's a front page story 🙂
The indoor concept idea is brilliant, and could be a real trend-setter.
Looks a lot bigger than 5-6000 capacity mind!
Absolutely Geoff. I just hope that WBC get behind this as they did with Orford Park. Where there is a will, there is a way.
The town is crying out for an indoor events venue of this capacity- the Parr Hall does a useful job but where are the gigs/bands that a town of this size deserves? Down the M62 at the moment !
Good Luck with the project
Certainly does look impressive, what would the cost be as that was not given in the article. As I recall the cost of Orford Jubilee Park was around £32 million with the funding coming from a number of sources.