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Beaumont Park – a fact sheet

DMU has invested £2.3m in the facilities at Beaumont Park, including:

  • a new all-weather 3G artificial pitch
  • two FA-standard pitches
  • floodlights for night games
  • increasing changing room and storage facilities
  • improving paths around the site
  • extending and modernising the site’s clubhouse

The 3G pitch was delivered last December, earlier than planned. The grass pitches took longer to bed down than had been envisaged. This was a complex £2.3m programme of refurbishment which transformed facilities into some of the best in the county at this level; unfortunately, programmes of this scale do sometimes overrun. The key point is that the facilities are magnificent and are intended as a resource as much for BTFC and the local community as for DMU.

Contrary to suggestions, we are not restricting access for the club in any way. Every effort has been made to negotiate over timings. The agreement signed by both parties allows for the changing of training times and DMU has suggested multiple alternatives to allow increased access by BTFC at suitable times while also allowing reasonable access by DMU students and staff. Each effort to find a solution has been met with stubbornness and a refusal to compromise. 

In line with the agreement between DMU and BTFC, we asked for small changes in weekly training schedules to accommodate a new FA-funded league for students and the public on Tuesdays and to encourage student use of pitches on Thursdays. This is important as student use on Fridays was minimal due to part-time work or home travel. At the same time and in line with our commitment to the local community, we offered the club increased training time and more space for local use.

It was a key principle of the agreement that there would be no increase in cost to BTFC teams for the use of the considerably enhanced facilities at Beaumont Park.

BTFC received considerable benefits from the new arrangements including the installation of floodlights which has made evening training during winter possible for BTFC. This compares to the situation prior to the agreement with DMU when BTFC teams would have to travel to other venues for training.

All BTFC teams have training sessions timetabled for at least 48 hours before each match; there are no instances of teams playing matches on days immediately following training days.

DMU has 18 11-a-side teams; BTFC has 28 teams of differing sizes and levels. The proposed timetable shows that BTFC has 29.5 hours access to Beaumont Park per week while DMU has 20. 

It has never been our intention to “strip” BTFC of its identity or the evidence of its history. Far from it; we wish to support BTFC and the local community in enjoying the fruits of its long and proud history of playing football.

DMU and Beaumont Leys

 
  • DMU has been working in Beaumont Leys for 18 months on projects aimed at tackling issues identified by the community including the lack of facilities for young people and raising skills levels.
  • The Square Mile team partnered Beaumont Lodge Neighbourhood Centre for its Summer Fun Day event which attracted around 300 children and their families who live in the Beaumont Leys area.
  • It is continuing to work with the youth club, providing student volunteers to help run events on Friday nights which had been under threat due to lack of volunteers.
  • DMU is also helping Beaumont Leys to develop a new community strategy and is instrumental in providing support to help start new groups that could potentially have a positive effect and create new prospects for a large number of people in Beaumont Leys.

Messages of support from the community

Martin Buchanan, Vice Chair of Beaumont Lodge Neighbourhood Association CIO, said: “Recent media reports about De Montfort University and tensions with Beaumont Town Football Club are a million miles away from the experience we have had with the University over the past five years. The DMU Square Mile team have helped us, and continue to help us, with a number of community events and initiatives. For example, only a couple of months ago, DMU partnered with us on our Summer Fun Day event which attracted around 300 children and their families who live in the Beaumont Leys area.

“Without their assistance and student volunteers, we also would not be able to offer free youth club sessions twice a month at Beaumont Lodge Neighbourhood Centre and their support and help towards our youth sessions means that young people in the area will have access to new equipment.

“Without this support, our sessions have struggled to continue as a lack of volunteers who will give up their Friday nights has been a major issue. Thanks to the volunteers that DMU sends we are able to continue and expand our youth sessions for children in the area to fortnightly. DMU is also helping Beaumont Leys to develop a new community strategy and are instrumental in providing support to help start new groups that could potentially have a positive effect and create new prospects for a large number of people in Beaumont Leys.”

Neil Wright, Chairman of Studs FC, said: “De Montfort University have supported our club, Studs FC, for four years now and without them we would not have been able to survive. The strong relationship between us makes everyone’s life at the club easier. With their support and volunteers we have been able to invest in equipment for all our teams. In the time we have been working together, we are on a more sustainable footing, meaning we don’t have to worry about having a place to train and play and we can focus on planning our training sessions for our young players.

“DMU Square Mile does an absolutely wonderful job in our community in the west of Leicester. Without their support we wouldn’t be able to provide our free Kid’s Academy that teaches 4-7 year old boys and girls from the community the basics of football. Without their support, advice and willingness to help, we would not be able to provide football for 70+ older children from the community either.

“All the coaches and I feel forever in debt to De Montfort University for the support that DMU Square Mile has provided us - and long may this relationship continue!”

Leicester City Council Beaumont Leys Councillor Hemant Rae Bhatia said: "I welcome the work De Montfort University has been doing in the area. The investment in Beaumont Park has been a real asset for the area and it has seen great transformation of the site for use of the community and the university. I would welcome a coordinated site usage so that all sections can utilise it to its potential.

“I am also impressed by the DMU Square Mile team who are working in schools in Beaumont Leys and across the ward. Helping Beaumont Lodge Neighbourhood Centre secure its youth club has been a big achievement in recent weeks for the university, community and Neighbourhood Centre. 

“I am also aware of the plans to create a community strategy for the area to empower residents to develop their own ideas, as well as develop a future DMU Square Mile community hub for the area so that the residents can collaborate with the university and access many activities they offer. DMU is showing a real appetite for undertaking community work within Beaumont Leys given the current challenges and I support the good work being done here."