Why is it important Crawley Town get Bewbush site for their training ground?

A campaign was created on the website 38degrees.org.uk by Fraser Sheridan to allow Crawley Town to use the land at Bewbush, RH11 8WB, as their training ground facilities.

You can sign the petition hereThe land has interest from two other parties and fans, backed by investor Paul John Hayward, want Crawley Borough Council to know how much the club needs this.

The club's operations director Kelly Derham released a statement on Tuesday giving an update on the situation. In the statement she said: "

"We are aware that an online petition has started supporting our plans for a new training ground and has already attracted 500 signatures, including our Head Coach Gabriele Cioffi. We’re grateful to every Crawley Town supporter for getting behind our proposals and I can assure everyone that we are working hard with Crawley Borough Council to bring our plans to fruition.

"It’s pivotal for the club to have a permanent training ground. The initial discussions have proven that it will not only be a valuable asset for the club and the community but one that allows Crawley to have more financial freedom. This is important for our club. Crawley needs everyone with the club at heart to unite and work in unison to achieve a brighter future."

You can read the full statement hereThis is what it says on the 38degrees website:

Crawley Town FC training ground

Please allow Crawley Town FC to use the land at Bewbush, RH11 8WB, as their training ground facilities.

Why is this important?

Crawley Town FC is loved by many in the Crawley area. The club has been struggling with training facilities for years and has been forced to use unsafe plastic pitches and local school grounds. The current training ground situation is not good enough for the club to progress to the next level.

With access to the land at Bewbush, RH11 8WB, Crawley Town FCs success will progress greatly resulting in more opportunities for the residents of Crawley, an increase in the community and more visitors to the Crawley area which will have a positive effect on the local economy. Football often has a huge positive impact on towns and cities and this training ground land is about the longevity and foundation of Crawley Town FC. For these reasons, it will be a massive success for the Crawley community if Crawley Town FC are allowed to use Bewbush as their training ground site.

In response to Kelly's statement, a Crawley Borough Council spokesperson said: “The council has been in discussions with Crawley Town FC regarding their proposal. We understand how much this means to the supporters of the club – as a council we too have supported the club over the years. There are however other parties with interest in the land and as a public authority we have to continue to progress these discussions in the appropriate way .”