AN ambitious partnership is being put together in a bid to secure the future of Ludlow Football Stadium and establish it as a hub for the development of the game in south Shropshire.

The Shropshire Football Association is brokering the scheme that would involve Teme Leisure, Shrewsbury Town Football Club Community Trust, AFC Ludlow, Onny Juniors, Ludlow Town Juniors, Ludlow Ladies FC, and The Shropshire Junior Football League.

It would seek to secure that the stadium and others facilities are put to maximum use for the community involving people from toddlers to veterans.

Shrewsbury Town Football Club would use the facility as a hub in south Shropshire and it would be the base for a football development officer.

At the heart of the project would be enhanced education, healthy living, safety and the provision of positive activities for young people.

Teme Leisure would manage the facility but this would involve securing a lease from Delfin Investments Limited, owners of the site.

If successful the scheme will mean that the four grass roots clubs linked to the project would use the site for matches and competitions. The Shropshire Football Association, Teme Leisure and Shrewsbury Town Football Club would use the pitches and pavilion as the base for a south Shropshire hub.

The objective would be to help all of those involved including the local clubs to develop and achieve their potential. It would aim to raise the profile and standard of football in south Shropshire as well as giving young players the chance to effectively make the transition between junior and senior football.

A key objective of the scheme as part of the business plan of Teme Leisure would be to enable the stadium and its facilities to operate on a sustainable level and therefore secure the future of the stadium that has been under a cloud for a number of years.

Onny Juniors and Ludlow Town Juniors are both designated as charter standard clubs with their own development plans.

Roy Waterfield, of the Shropshire Football Association, told Ludlow Town Council that the scheme would provide a major asset for the community of the town.

He said the stadium has the potential to be a beacon for football related opportunities providing coaching from toddlers to veterans.

It would provide a hub for high quality and safe football activities for spectators, coaches, officials, volunteers and players.

But it is intended that the benefits would do more than just improve football. It would also enable people to socialise, build self-esteem and confidence.

While the hope would be to improve the standards of football the facilities would not just be available to the elite and higher levels of the game but would also provide access to the game to people irrespective of age, ability, gender, religion and ethnic background.

Ludlow Town Council has been asked to provide a £3,000 grant to support the scheme and has agreed that it will examine its finances in the light of developments and belt tightening to see how it can help.