Chance for a focal point for our national sport

I WOULD like to respond to recent letters regarding Canterbury City Council’s proposed new stadium (Football Hub Is An Issue Of Two Halves, Your Thoughts, Kentish Gazette, January 31). When Canterbury City football club’s previous ground at Kingsmead was sold off and demolished, the club were promised a new one by the council and some of money from the sale set aside for a future home. That is now possible and with other grants available the city has the chance for a football hub to serve the community. Football is the national sport, it is crazy that a city the size of Canterbury doesn’t host senior football given the existing facilities for cricket, rugby and hockey. The club would provide a focal point for developing and nurturing the young footballers of the future and obviously give football fans in the city the chance to watch live football for the first time in a decade. They have my full and enthusiastic support. Edmund Allcorn, Summer Hill, Harbledown.

DARREN Ellis has a pretty twisted view of consultation when he claims the council have consulted residents on the football club. Yes, they are consulting now, but on a single option of siting the new club facility at Ridlands Farm. Consultation means a choice between at least two options Darren.You can’t actually consult on one option and call it consultation. That’s what you’re doing and it’s called dictating not consulting! He then says that money from the sale of Kingsmead will be used to fund it. The originally-proposed football hub is now much scaled down. It could easily go onto Kingsmead – the traditional home of the football club, close to good bus routes, parking and logically next door to the sports centre. Why sell Kingsmead for housing and then use that pot of cash to put the football club in the middle of a green field with difficult access, tucked away behind the hospital and where nobody wants it? Cllr Nick Eden-Green (Lib Dem), Wincheap ward, Dane John, Canterbury.