Town hall chiefs set to agree sale of The Shay Stadium to rugby boss
Plus, first black international footballer to be honoured
Hello and welcome to the weekend edition of The Calderdale Lead.
It’s a football-heavy edition this week with news on the future of The Shay Stadium and details of events to commemorate the first black international footballer.
The saga around the Shay has been ongoing for years but it now finally looks to be coming to an end with councillors being asked to decide on two proposals for its future. We’ve full details below.
So, on with the news…
Future of The Shay set to be decided at last
Calderdale council chiefs look set to sell The Shay Stadium to Huddersfield Giants boss Ken Davy, bringing to an end a long-running saga.
The council’s Cabinet will meet on March 17 to make a final decision on the future of the stadium but officers are recommending the sale to Mr Davy over a proposal by supporters to run the stadium.
Council officers have carefully considered both proposals in the context of the Council’s budget, current and future costs for the stadium and securing best value for Calderdale residents. .
Officers advise that the key benefits of Mr Davy’s proposal include:
• A newly refreshed and modernised stadium for sports and community use.
• The provision of a new hybrid pitch.
• Access to Super League rugby for Calderdale residents.
• Retail opportunities for local businesses through additional events and increased attendance.
• An owner with a lengthy track record of philanthropy and business success.
This proposal requires the Council and the two professional clubs to commit towards initial investment for a Football Foundation grant that will provide for the replacement of the current pitch with a new hybrid pitch.
The Council contribution towards the pitch replacement is likely to be in the region of £130,000. However, the Council already invests between £30,000 and £50,000 every year in pitch works. The proposal makes provision for interest free loans to be made by Mr Davy to the two professional clubs to help meet the costs of the pitch replacement.
If Mr Davy’s proposals go ahead, the new hybrid pitch at the Shay would be constructed from summer 2025, to minimise the disruption to FC Halifax Town during the 2025/26 playing season and to prepare the ground for the relocation of the Huddersfield Giants in 2026.
Although officers have made their recommendation, the Cabinet will still get the final say and both options are up for debate at the meeting.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, Cllr Danielle Durrans, said: “Although major financial pressures mean that it’s no longer possible for the Council to continue the running of the Shay Stadium, we understand how important this facility is for people in the borough.
“We’re committed to securing a bright future for the stadium, with the many benefits that local sports teams bring to the borough. In discussing proposals for the Shay’s future, we want to ensure that we can provide a long-term solution that will inspire the proud clubs of FC Halifax Town and Halifax Panthers and support their on-field success.”
Halifax Town Supporters Club said they were monitoring the situation and keen to find out more about both bids.
A spokesman said: "Taken at face value, the bids look extremely promising in many ways, but, like everyone else, we recognise the need for caution, as well as safeguards for the two clubs who call the Shay their home.
“Rest assured that we have the best interests of our beloved Shaymen at heart, and although the Supporters Club are not major players in these negotiations, we do have dialogue with FC Halifax Town, and will continue to make our views and concerns known.”
The Cabinet meeting takes place at Halifax Town Hall on March 17 at 4pm.
First black international footballer to be honoured with plaque in Halifax
Former England international Viv Anderson is to unveil a plaque in honour of the world’s first black international footballer in Halifax later this month.
Anderson, who himself was the first black England international, will be on hand to celebrate the extraordinary life of Andrew Watson at Crossley Heath Grammar School on March 19.
Watson, who was a pupil at Crossley Heath, captained Scotland to a 6-1 win over England on his debut in 1881, becoming the first black player to play international football.
His mother, Anna Rose, was a black woman born into slavery who along with her mother Minkie was freed as a young girl.
His father, Peter Miller Watson, was a white Scottish solicitor highly influential in Demerara where he looked after the affairs of Sandbach, Tinne and Co - a firm that exported sugar, coffee and rum and had been involved in the slave trade.
Unlike most illegitimate, mixed-race children in Victorian times, Watson, a cousin to Prime Minister William Gladstone, had an excellent education that acted as the springboard to a life worth living.
At aged ten, he passed his entry exams to become a pupil at Queen Elizabeth’s Free Grammar School in Heath, Halifax in August 1866. He left in 1871 to become a pupil at King’s College, London and enrolled in 1875 at the University of Glasgow, a city home to the world-famous Queen’s Park FC, credited with inventing the passing game, where Watson became a star.
He won the Scottish FA Cup three times and represented Scotland three times internationally - winning on each occasion.
The second victory, 5-1 at the original Hampden Park, was a pivotal result that convinced the English Football Association to change its approach to the game with Watson being recruited to play for the Corinthians, based in London, where he helped English players develop away from the dribbling, individual game.
He later represented Bootle FC before becoming an administrator, investor and match official within football, becoming the first black man to do so.
Trailblazer Anderson, who twice won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest. became the first black player to represent England when he made his debut in 1978 against Czechoslovakia at Wembley. He went on to win 30 caps for the Three Lions.
Now, more than 150 years since he lived in Halifax, Crossley Heath Grammar School, which can date its history back to 1585, has combined with local football historian Mark Metcalf to raise funds to pay for a Watson plaque to be installed at the school gates entrance on Skircoat Moor.
That’s all for this edition.
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Enjoy the rest of the weekend and we’ll be back in your inbox on Wednesday!
Andrew