A great day for Alnwick Town FC Juniors as Duke opens clubhouse
Today has been ‘a momentous occasion’ for Alnwick Town Juniors as the Duke of Northumberland finally opened their new clubhouse following the destruction of the previous one by Storm Arwen in November 2021.
Club Chairman Louise Jones said “Today has been wonderful! This project started in 2016 and we have faced blood, sweat and tears but we are finally here to officially open this fantastic state-of-the-art facility. This means so much for the club, our teams and our dedicated supporters who have got us to this point.”
“I am very grateful to His Grace the Duke of Northumberland for coming here today. He has always shown us his support, giving us the long-term lease we needed to secure the funding (£1.4m) for the project.”
We also had financial support from other organisations such as Alnwick Town Council. Mayor of Alnwick Councillor Geoff Watson said “The council felt this was a worthwhile project to support. The club does wonderful work and it is an asset to the town.”
The new clubhouse contains a large bar area suitable for functions, catering facilities and changing rooms.
The previous building, at Greensfield, had only been open a few months when it was virtually destroyed in the near-100mph winds. The roof was blown off and landed on the nearby 3G pitch and put it out of action too.
The club’s supporters soon set to work to clear and reopen the pitch and today marks the culmination of months of hard work to get the clubhouse back in operation.
Club Secretary Mick Keane said “It is such a pleasure to see the clubhouse being used again by the youngsters and their families. I want to thank everyone who has helped us and the players through the past months. Today has happened because of the teamwork we have had off the pitches – now we can concentrate on what’s happening on the pitches!
The facilities are used by 18 teams from Alnwick Town Juniors, as well as for five-a-sides, by the Newcastle United Foundation and Duchess’s Community High School.
The clubhouse will open to the public from May 1st.
Pictured: His Grace the Duke of Northumberland at the clubhouse with Alnwick Town Junior committee and coaches along with representatives from Alnwick Town Council.
