Response from Board of Directors at Abbeydale Sports Club

Dear all,

This petition was sent to the Board of Directors on the 15th August, and we have just received a response via Andrew Watson, the general manager of Abbeydale Sports Club. The decision is that the dogs ban will remain in place and no compromise will be reached. In response to a proposal that dogs be kept off 'playing areas' rather than the whole site, the board said

"It is virtually impossible to operate on the basis that dog owners must keep them off the playing areas.  Further policing an arrangement on that basis would require substantial input from ASCL and providing the additional bins and signage would involve costs which the majority of members and sports sections would be unlikely to support.

Furthermore it is important to bear In mind that Abbeydale Park is a private sports club not a public park and part of the reasoning behind the ban is to deter non-members from using the site for dog walking. This has been largely successful. Any relaxation of the ban could only encourage dog walkers to return to site. 

The board do not accept that dog owners need to bring their dogs onto site when either playing or watching sport. They would not expect to do so at many other private sporting venues"

The full response can be found on the Sheffield Collegiate Cricket Club Website. 

Katie Stewart