Tadcaster Albion chairman Andy Charlesworth says the latest floods to hit the North Yorkshire club are devastating – and thanked the community for helping with the clear-up.
The Brewers’ Global Stadium was left submerged under over oneand-a-half metres of water after the adjacent River Wharfe burst its banks for the fourth time in seven years.
A combination of Storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin broke down most of the steel barrier on the far side of the ground and caused water to ingress through the floorboards of the clubhouse, which was raised following the devastating floods of 2015.
Efforts to clear up began on Friday and they have launched a Just Giving page hoping to raise £4,999 to help fund the initial recovery work.
Yesterday’s Northern Premier League Division One East home match with Stocksbridge Park Steels was postponed with the club locked in talks with the local authorities and the Environment Agency in a bid to host the rearranged game this Saturday.
“It’s just very, very frustrating, devastating,” Charlesworth told The NLP. “It’s disruption of the clubhouse the facilities and not being able to generate income for the any home games, which is what we obviously use to use the run and fund the club.
“And then it’s the cost and disruption of actually getting ourselves put back together so that we can host games.
“Leeds United Ladies are supposed to be playing games here including on Sunday, so we’ve lost all that income too.
Debris
“We’ve actually got a drainage system underneath the pitch where we can pump it off.
“Then it’s a matter of getting the volunteers down to start to clean up the debris. Then make the place safe.
“The Council have been very good to us, they’re going to find us some skips, the local flood group given us some cleaning equipment, we’ve had a donation from a local Sainsbury’s with cleaning equipment.
“The community is rallying around and everyone is helping each other out in the in the situation which is good.”
This comes as a huge kick in the teeth for Taddy who have played an integral part in the town’s Tadcaster Flood Alleviation Scheme which was formed following the devastation of the 2015 floods.
Charlesworth said: “It’s stressful when you hear about the weather forecast and you can see right away what’s coming.
Regulations
“There are plans afoot in Tadcaster to have flood, improved flood defence improvements, and we’ve had a very positive discussion with the Football Foundation today about potential improvements.
“There is a way forward we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. There’s just a lot of hard work to go that way at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Potters Bar Town have also set up a GoFundMe page in order to help the club meet ground grading regulations, following extensive storm damage.
A similar fundraising effort in March 2019 raised £5,000 towards the £50,000 improvement costs.
But 70mph winds on Friday blew one of the new stands completely on its back, causing much damage, as well as to the Water Irrigation Canons, the Home Dugout and a Storage Unit.
