Netball team cut short tournament to avoid parking fines at Fenton Manor
NETBALL players had to cut their tournament short to avoid hefty parking fines as their pay-and-display tickets ran out before the competition ended.
Teams from the Stoke-on-Trent Area Netball League said they felt as though they were being targeted by wardens at Fenton Manor Sports Complex.
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Fenton Manor Sports Complex
Around 60 women from across Staffordshire travelled to the venue on Monday night to take part in the league's annual Joyce Haynes Tournament.
They arrived before the 7pm start and each spent £1 for a three-hour parking ticket.
The only alternative was to pay £4 for a 24-hour ticket which none of the players needed.
But as the teams knocked out in the early stages left, the players noticed two parking wardens patrolling and raised the alarm warning the others still inside the sports centre.
Netball coach Ursula Smith, aged 60, said: "My team, Tean Valley, came runners up and I missed the presentation, because I was outside trying to stop the wardens ticketing us.
"I'm furious, this was the first Monday evening when these new parking regulations were in force and we had to finish the tournament early because there was such a furore about tickets being dished out.
"Some women didn't have change to top up their tickets.
"I feel like we were targeted and made an example of.
"Stoke-on-Trent City Council wants to encourage women to play sports and this is how they treat us."
The Stoke-on-Trent Area Netball League 'block books' the three courts at Fenton Manor every Monday evening.
With 60 teams and more than 600 players, the league is one of the most popular of its type in the country.
League chairman Chris Lowndes said: "This ticketing is just a money-making scheme. People who are members of the gym get free parking passes and that luxury should be extended to the netball league players.
"We pay around £16,000 to have the use of Fenton Manor every Monday."
Leisure centre car parking charges were introduced by the council on June 1, at Fenton Manor and Dimensions Leisure Centre, in Tunstall.
The new regulations are expected to generate more than £311,000 per year to improve the car parks.
Tony Oakman, from Stoke-on-Trent City Council adult and neighbourhood services, said: "The charges have been clearly highlighted at Fenton Manor with signage put up in the car park outside the site as well as inside the centre, and permits already on sale.
"Research showed on average people spent no more than three hours at the centre. It may be that we can look at the possibility of a four-hour tariff."
Comment: Page 10
5 Comments
by Andrew_F
Saturday, June 11 2011, 11:39AM
“This appears to be another public relations own goal for Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
It should encourage people to exercise, not penalise them when they do.
Another sad case of an organisation knowing the cost of something but not the value of it.”
by Kevinbucknall
Wednesday, June 08 2011, 3:07PM
“If gym members are given free parking passes, why aren't the other users of the facilities awarded the same privilege, like the netball team. The netball team have paid £16000 to use the facilities every Monday, if they have paid for the use of the facilities, alike with the gym members, why are they expected to pay parking charges in addition, when gym members are not? Seems very unfair to me.”
by matt1982
Wednesday, June 08 2011, 11:46AM
“I'm fairly sure that the netball teams weren't targeted. Just like anyone else who doesn't pay enough money in any pay and display car park world wide you run the risk of getting a fine. Lesson to be learnt - pay the right amount and you won't get fined. Netball players should know how long a match will take so they must know in plenty of time that they won't have enough time on their tickets and so need to go back to the cars inbetween games.”
by WebMonkey1
Wednesday, June 08 2011, 10:50AM
“Talking about shooting yourself in the foot SOTCC. This is the best money making scam you could come up with?”
by Disco_2000
Wednesday, June 08 2011, 10:42AM
“Honestly - how does any of this fit within the City Council's fitness and obesity strategies? Oh, that's right. It doesn't. Clueless incompetents. If you want to know why our City is in the mess it's in (lack of regeneration, lack of community cohesion, racial tensions etc etc) - look no further than the Civic Centre. They simply can't see beyond the end of their noses...”