An image showing how the VPG could look in the future.

In the latest of our series of in-depth features on the regeneration projects planned as part of the £25 million Goole Town Deal programme, we explore ambitious plans to transform the town’s Victoria Pleasure Ground into a state-of-the-art, multi-sports stadium facility:

It may be difficult to imagine now, given its town centre location, but when the Victoria Pleasure Ground first opened in 1888 it was situated on the very edge of Goole. In 1909, the VPG was described as a ‘spacious and well laid out sports pavilion’. At that time, it was home to Goole Town Cricket Club and Lawn Tennis Club during the summer, and to Goole Town Football Club in the winter months.

In fact, the VPG, as it’s fondly referred to locally, has been the home of football in Goole for more than 100 years. The town’s semi-professional football club, Goole Associated Football Club, which plays in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, is still based there today, along with Goole Vikings Rugby Club, a semi-professional rugby league side competing in the Yorkshire Men’s League. Several other local sports clubs, including Goole Youth Athletics Club, also use the site.

The site itself is now owned by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, having formerly belonged to Boothferry Borough Council, which had leased it to Goole Town Council for a 30-year period. Sadly, the facility is no longer fit for purpose and in dire need of investment if it’s to remain open. Goole Town Council currently subsidises the VPG to the tune of around £25,000 per year, just to keep the venue operating.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Government made some early funding allocations to towns involved in the Town Deal process, which had to be spent by a strict deadline. Goole was given £750,000 and some of this money was used to install energy efficient floodlighting at the Victoria Pleasure Ground, helping to reduce the running costs of the venue and make it more environmentally friendly.

At least £3.5 million of Goole Town Deal funding has been earmarked for the VPG’s redevelopment, offering a much-needed and timely lifeline that can be used to halt the venue’s long-running decline and secure its future by making it financially viable, as well as enabling a much broader cross-section of local people of all ages, abilities and interests to use it. In fact, the Business Case that has been developed for the site estimates that the proposed improvements will increase the number of visits to the VPG by 376 per cent, from 13,000 to 63,000 per year. It also forecasts that the VPG will become financially viable within three years of the improvements being carried out, with no need for Goole Town Council to subsidise it beyond that.

Phil Jones, Vice-Chair of the Goole Town Deal Board, said: “Since Goole secured a share of the Government’s Town Deal funding, the Board has been working behind the scenes to develop Business Cases for each of the projects identified in our Town Investment Plan. Before delivery can begin, each Business Case has to be agreed by the Government to ensure that our plans are viable, and capable of achieving town centre regeneration and attracting further investment in the longer term. We see the various projects as individual pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that will come together to have a transformative effect on the town centre by stimulating long-term economic growth. 

“At the VPG, our goal is to provide health and social benefits to significant numbers of local people. We want the new and improved VPG to become the ‘go-to’ venue for sporting activities, events and functions, increasing the number of visitors who spend time and money in Goole.”

Phil added: “The proposed facilities will provide opportunities for more people to enjoy club sport, recreational sport and fitness activities, bringing more visitors to Goole and attracting more people into the town centre. The VPG is a huge sporting asset in the town, with a long and proud history. The Town Deal funding gives us a unique opportunity to transform it into an iconic venue that Goole will be proud of, both now and for future generations.”

The Goole Town Deal Board, which is made up of Brigg and Goole MP Andrew Percy and a wide variety of public, private and voluntary sector organisations with a shared commitment to regenerating Goole, has worked with Goole Town Council and specialist consultants with vast experience of developing top class sporting facilities nationally. Developing a multi-use site means balancing multiple demands and expectations from different users, all of which must be appraised to identify what’s possible and delivers the greatest number of benefits in the longer-term. The proposals include a new two-storey clubhouse, catering facilities and physiotherapy room, and much improved home and away team facilities.

Paul Challenger, Chairman of Goole Town Tigers Junior Football Club, which has more than 440 members, said: “The plans we have seen will be a fantastic improvement on the existing ground and mean that many more children and adults in our great town can enjoy sporting activities at the site. The VPG has the potential to be something that Goole can be proud of.”

Anthony Whiteley, Chairman of Goole Vikings Rugby League Club, said: “These proposals will transform the VPG into a state-of- the-art facility that will bring people into Goole for sports events and provide a home ground that local clubs will be proud of. The proposals will be fantastic for Goole Vikings ARLFC and also the development of rugby league in the region.

Amanda Jack of East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s School Sports Partnership is also supportive of the proposals, commenting: “The proposed facility development at VPG is badly needed. Sport England’s Active Lives data shows that activity levels in Goole have worsened since Covid-19 and childhood obesity is the highest in the East Riding. We fully support the project and will work with VPG to provide opportunities for all the children in the town to have positive experiences of sport and physical activity at VPG.”

As the organisation responsible for managing the VPG, Goole Town Council is currently consulting local residents on the proposals for the site.

Goole Town Council, together with Goole Town Deal Board, want to ensure that as many local residents as possible have a chance to view and comment on the plans, which have been on display in the Workshop at Junction on Paradise Place in Goole throughout this week. They can be viewed there until this Saturday, 14 January, when there will also be a drop-in session from 11am to 1pm and staff will be on hand to answer any questions. Those who are unable to visit Junction to view the plans can also see them on Goole Town Council’s website (www.goole-tc.gov.uk), where comments can also be made. When the consultation period ends, the comments received will be collated so that final consideration can be given to the next stage of the decision-making process, in preparation for the Goole Town Deal funding to be released and the project to be delivered.  

Here are some of the key questions that local residents want to know about the proposed redevelopment of the Victoria Pleasure Ground:

Q: Why are you proposing to remodel, rather than refurbish, the existing VPG?

A: Goole Town Council currently spends a significant sum every year just to maintain the fabric of the facilities at the ground. Without the investment offered through Goole Town Deal, the VPG would eventually fall into disrepair and be at risk of closure. The grass pitch is already over-played and cannot accommodate existing unmet demand from local clubs. It needs to become a financially sustainable asset fit for the future that can be enjoyed by many more of Goole’s residents and visitors. 

Q: Why do the plans include a 3G pitch?

A: The carrying capacity of the natural grass in-field is limited and it soon becomes unplayable with over-use. An artificial 3G pitch will allow significantly more activity on the site to help to meet the demand from local sports clubs, which can’t currently be met at the VPG. A floodlit artificial grass pitch is key to ensuring the future sustainability of the whole site.

Q: Why do the plans feature more compact athletics facilities? 

A: When the 400-metre oval athletics track is in use, the in-field pitch can’t be used at the same time. This is not sustainable and means that a valuable resource is being under used. The VPG needs to accommodate many more users, and at the same time. The new proposals for the site provide an alternative athletics offering that’s in line with England Athletics’ Strategy. It will support athletics development activities, as well as offering opportunities for community running and fitness sessions.

Q: Why do the plans include a large parking area?

A: Opportunities to park at the VPG are currently limited and need to be increased to support the improved facilities. Additional parking will help keep cars off nearby roads and is essential if we’re to promote the new facilities as a ‘destination venue’ for sports activities and hospitality functions. The proposal will also need to secure planning approval, as part of a statutory process.

Q: What will the new pavilion offer?

A: For sports club and recreational participants, the proposals provide a new, well-managed, accessible, clean, safe, prestige facility with modern changing, toilet and shower facilities, as well as officials’ accommodation. Visitors to the site will be able to enjoy a café and social space, and spectator stands with covered seating. The upstairs hospitality suite and bar, which will have views over the sports facilities, will be promoted as a venue for meetings, conferences and events, as well as providing a quality venue for local people to book private functions.

Q: Will the proposed facilities meet the ground capacity requirements for Goole AFC, both now and in the future?

A:  The proposed facilities enable Goole AFC to meet the current FA and League requirements for ground capacity and spectator facilities, but are also capable of accommodating further success and promotions in the future.