Guiseley AFC Chairman Phil Rogerson has expressed surprise that local residents have already voiced their objections to the club's plans to provide a covered terracing at the railway end of their ground.

The plan for the small covered terracing at the Nethermoor Park ground is expected to go before Leeds City Council planners in October and Rogerson is obviously disappointed that there have been objections to what he sees as an improvement to the ground.

The new covered structure will be set against the background of an industrial estate on land that is currently a jungle of overgrown bushes,weeds and rubbish.

As Rogerson appealed for supporters of his club to voice their support to the planning authority he said: 'I am at a loss to see why people are objecting to this plan. It will tidy up that area, no trees will be affected and the area is so strewn with rubbish that it is not suitable for children to play on or people to walk on.'

'If people are naive enough to think that if the football club was not here Leeds City Council would revert the area to a beautiful parkland then they are way off the mark.'

'This plan will enhance the area and in particular our football ground - a ground that is visited by hundreds of people in a week both for matches and for children's coaching initiatives. As well as staging our own UniBond League games, we now have a reserve team, an Under-19 academy team and the RASCALS soccer in the community programme for boys and girls as well as Bradford City ladies playing here.'

He added: 'The ground also provides the stage for the Wharfedale Football Association's showpiece cup finals at the end of the seasson giving all the amateur players in the district the chance of playing on the ground of the area's premier side. '

'The development is essential for us to retain our UniBond League status - we are in serious danger of losing that if we cannot improve our facilities. As our many travelling supporters know we are way behind most other clubs in our league when it comes to faciltiies and for a club that has achieved so much on the field that is something we need to address,' said Rogerson.

'Our standard of play deserves better facilties, particularly for the fans who turn up in all weathers to watch us. They need more covered accomodation. We are doing all we can to encourage local people to watch and take part in soccer. We allow youngsters under the age of 12 to watch matches for free which encourages family participation. These people however need to know that they are going to get decent facilities within the ground and providing covered accomodation for them is what we are aiming for.'

'The structure of the new stand will be low level - only five or six rows deep - and it will enhance the appearance of that end of the ground. We will always try to make things inkeeping with the environment - we are looking to improve the place, not turn it into an eyesore.'

'The whole thing will be single storey we have no intention of building anything above single storey.- it is neither necessary nor inkeeping.'

Rogerson stressed that there would still be access at the back of the stand to the small wooded area.

'If we don't get this planning permission then I don't know where we go from here. If we can't make progress then we can only go backwards and after all we have achieved in the last ten years or so then that would be a great pity.'

Rogerson added that the soccer club's success also helped its neighbours Guiseley Cricket Club.

'We share certain facilities including the bar and the more success we have and the more people we pull through the gate then the more both clubs benefit,' he said.

The club's commercial manager Les Wood said: 'People should be under no illusion that if we do not upgrade the facilities here at Nethermoor then we will be unable to meet the future criteria for our own league never mind that of the Conference.'

'It sometimes appears that the supporters here take for granted the standard of football being put on which attracted teams such as Leeds United, York City and Scunthorpe United for pre-season games. That is not an automatic right.

As a club we have to prove that we can compete on the field and cope off it. We now need the support of everyone to improve facilities here. Don't let the voice of the detractors be heard above that of those who really want to see us move forward. We really need people to stand up and be counted at this stage. It is no good just sitting back content in the thought that things will happen. They won't unless everyone who wants this improvement lets the powers that be know.'

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.