Sports club bans Ilford FC from Cricklefields Stadium

Ilford Sports Club, which runs the stadium’s clubhouse, has suspended the football club’s “rights and privileges”, including its ability to use the changing rooms or the refreshments facilities.

Football rules mean that without these facilities, Ilford FC cannot host matches.

It has already had to move several games, including last week’s FA Vase match, which was relocated to Coggeshall.

Chairman Adam Peek said: “The matter is in the hands of our lawyers and as such we are restricted in what we are able to say… We anticipate developments very shortly to restore the status quo.”

Tony McGrath, chairman of Ilford Sports Club, said the club’s board had taken action against Ilford FC on grounds that it was working against the best interests of other stakeholders at Cricklefields.

Ilford Sports Club, which runs the indoor facilities at Cricklefields Stadium, has banned Ilford FC from using its facilities, saying the football club is working against other stakeholders at the site (Image: Charles Thomson)

Lease

Earlier this month, Redbridge Council leaders agreed to negotiate with Ilford FC over a potential long-term lease for the whole Cricklefields site.

Mr McGrath said this was at odds with an existing lease giving Ilford Sports Club control of the clubhouse until 2031.

Council documents acknowledge that “current land interests… will require negotiation to surrender” if Ilford is awarded the lease.

They also state that Ilford FC’s plans could jeopardise other groups’ use of the stadium.

They refer to “a need to look at alternatives for elements of sports provision that may no longer be able to use the central pitch, particularly field events for the athletics club”.

Ilford Athletic Club said Cricklefields was originally an athletics facility, with football incidental to that intended use. But Ilford FC’s plan to install a 4G pitch could see some athletics events forced out of the ground (Image: Charles Thomson)

Ilford Athletic Club (AC) said a planned 4G all-weather pitch “would mean the end of both Ilford AC and schools and any other athletics hirer” being able to use the site for “a full athletics meeting”, as events like hammer, discus and javelin “would no longer be possible”.

“An all-weather pitch would significantly impact upon Ilford’s proud tradition of being a full athletics track and field club,” said general secretary Andy Catton.

“The council have guaranteed that use of Cricklefields for athletics will be fully protected under any new lease. But to what extent, we don’t know.”

Ilford Sports Club chairman Tony McGrath said Ilford FC should not be trusted with the future running of the whole Cricklefields site, as it doesn’t maintain the areas it’s already responsible for, like this condemned stand (Image: Charles Thomson)

“A wing and a prayer”

Barkingside FC is also at odds with Ilford FC over its plans.

Ilford has asked Barkingside to start paying thousands of pounds more per year in rent.

Barkingside says this breaches a legally binding ground share agreement, ratified by the FA’s solicitors, allowing the club to use the site at a set cost until 2031.

Since Barkingside refused to pay the rent hike, Ilford has said it will refuse to accept its rent payments or acknowledge its fixtures.

It claims the existing agreement is invalid and Barkingside is paying a peppercorn rent while Ilford incurred rising maintenance costs.

Tony McGrath, chairman Ilford Sports Club, complained that Ilford FC leaves rubbish lying around Cricklefields Stadium (Image: Charles Thomson)

Barkingside chairman Jimmy Flanaghan said the club would probably fold if it lost the current ground share agreement.

But Mr McGrath – also vice chairman of Barkingside FC – said one of the reasons he and other stakeholders oppose Ilford FC being granted a lease for Cricklefields is because it does not maintain the areas it is already responsible for.

One stand is condemned because it is damaged and the club has left rubbish dumped around the site, he claimed, including metal barriers in the stadium’s fire exit.

“Everything they do, they do on a wing and a prayer,” he said. “If you look around at what they’ve already done, it’s not fit for purpose.”

We put these allegations to Ilford FC chairman Adam Peek, who did not respond to them directly.

Ilford FC chairman Adam Peek said Tony McGrath was using his influence at the Sports Club to do the bidding of Barkingside FC, where Mr McGrath is vice chairman (Image: Gavin Ellis/TGS)

Response

Mr Peek suggested Mr McGrath was using his role at Ilford Sports Club to do the bidding of Barkingside FC.

“This is nothing to do with Ilford Sports Club and everything to do with Barkingside FC… which is in a long-standing legal dispute with Ilford FC,” he claimed.

“Mr McGrath has approached you to try, as Barkingside have, to sabotage the bid with really no understanding of it, not for the interest of the sports club but for Barkingside.

“This proposal would increase usage of the sports club by ten-fold, so why isn’t this a benefit to the sports club?

“We are in the process of dealing with lawyers and the council on this matter and we will make no further comment.”