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Support for centre
• ONE of your readers has made some shrewd observations about Arsenal’s bank balance (Gunners coin it in, March 21) and I can infer that the club’s finances are in a state of continual improvement.
So, if Arsenal can sustain its current return on investment/disruption, then the cost of a sports centre at Queensland Road will become much less of a burden than it might have appeared three years ago when the council was playing down the need for such a facility.
However, cost should not be the only driver on this occasion. We are a community of human beings, not cells in an accountant’s spreadsheet, and the spiritual benefits of an Arsenal sports centre are immeasurable.
Unlike a cinema or other commercial enterprise, a soccer facility is directly linked to Arsenal’s mainstream business, and it is myopic and selfish of a property developer to think only in terms of the financial cost and to disregard the cost in terms of local morale.
Putting a soccer facility alongside a soccer stadium creates synergy and is akin to putting a square peg in a square hole. Even if Arsenal is unable to interact with the community at the same level as previously, a token presence is better than no presence at all.
A sports centre at Queensland Road need not be a direct replacement for the JVC Centre. It could go beyond that and become a sports and community centre. It could become a headquarters – and, indeed, a springboard – for the Positive Futures project, along with various other local initiatives. It could be an ideal meeting place for youngsters in a controlled environment. Any form of diversification will ease the perceived drain on Arsenal’s resources and could also help to attract additional sponsorship.
This is clearly a time for lateral thinking and we should try to put aside any misguided assumptions from three years ago. There is now overwhelming support for an Arsenal sports centre, not only from residents, parents and soccer enthusiasts but from politicians and political commentators, clergy, teachers, lecturers, sports coaches, Arsenal season ticket holders, musicians, actors, comedians, Safer Neighbourhoods representatives, business executives, tradesmen, street sweepers and so on. The list is endless.
I believe it is in the best interests of Arsenal and the council to take our views into account and to capitalise on the need for a prestigious community focal point such as this.
IAN SHACKLOCK
Monsell Road, N4
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