Vivek Chaudhary 16 Feb 2012 please log in to view this image A dilapidated west London sports ground is at the centre of a battle between Queens Park Rangers and their multi-billionaire owners and a non-League side with their own wealthy investors. The Premier League club and Southall Football Club, who play in the Middlesex County Premier League, will submit their proposals to Ealing Council tomorrow to take over Warren Farm, a neglected sports ground on the border between Osterley and Southall. QPR's owners Tony Fernandes and Lakshmi Mittal, who between them are worth an estimated £20billion, have identified Warren Farm as the site for a new training ground and academy and are planning to spend around £6million on bringing it up to Premier League standards. Warren Farm is currently made up of 30 football, cricket and netball pitches many of which Ealing Council admits are "not fit for purpose." The changing rooms and other buildings have changed little since the 1960s, when the site was taken over by the local authority for use by schools and clubs. The Southall proposal is to develop Warren Farm into a state-of-the-art community sports complex specialising in football, cricket and rugby. Despite the fact the club are up against two of the Premier League's richest owners, those behind the Southall bid insist that they too can draw upon some serious finances and are backed by a group of wealthy Asian businessmen who are willing to invest almost £20m into Warren Farm. The Southall plan has also secured the support of some high-profile names from the world of sport. Former international cricketers John Emburey and Alvin Kallicharran are set to oversee the development of a cricket academy while former Tottenham manager Peter Shreeves and ex-Liverpool striker David Johnson will be involved in football development and coaching. Southall, the club where Les Ferdinand began his career, are located in the heart of the capital's largest Asian community. Officials claim that their plans for Warren Farm could increase the popularity of sport and increase general fitness levels among people living in the area. According to Government statistics, the district of Southall suffers from widespread deprivation and lower levels of life expectancy and sports participation than other parts of the country. Charanjit Singh Gill, vice-chairman of the football club, said: "Generally, British Asians have not fully embraced sporting culture and suffer many health problems because of bad fitness. Our plans for Warren Farm could help to change all this and make a real difference to the Southall community. We are also confident that a new facility will help us develop top-level Asian sports stars. "QPR are not interested in the people of Southall. Why should they be, they are a professional football club? "If they take over Warren Farm, do you think ordinary people will be allowed to use the facilities there? We want to create something that will benefit the people of Southall and the surrounding area." Ealing Council is offering a 200-year lease on Warren Farm and insists that it will carefully evaluate all proposals before making a decision in June. It admits, however, that the needs of the community must be taken into consideration. A spokesman said: "We will look at all bids equally and investigate them fully to ensure that they can deliver. The winning bidder will have to meet a certain number of criteria for Warren Farm, the facilities they will create and what they can offer. "For us it's about getting the best deal for the residents of Southall and the rest of the borough." QPR, who are 10 levels above Southall in the League pyramid, have refused to be drawn into a row with the club and were unwilling to reveal any plans they may have for the local community should they secure Warren Farm. A spokesman said: "It's very early days and we cannot comment in detail at the moment." http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-24036043-the-battle-for-warren-farm.do?
...of which Mittal is holding £19.7billion! Do the usual rules apply whereby the club would have to invest a certain amount into local amenities (like with a new stadium or any housing developments)?
Tell ealing that we wont build a ground in their territory if we dont get the training ground, match day revenue will far outweigh the good that Southall could produce. It would also give H&F the finger as they seem to not want to help us.
I thought this was our top priority and am sure I read somewhere that the new training facility is meant to be ready for next season ( or may have been next year). Here it says the council won't make a decision until June, no way will we get something set up that quickly. Pretty sure that if Southall get it the site will be an underused wasteland for years to come.
im not sure southall would win this, they are currently sharing at hanwell town and havent paid the rent. they have a history of crooked money and if they were serious they would not be in the middlesex county league. they were thrown out of the league above as there books were crooked. 20million in investment?? played against them last year and they had 9 players and no first aid kit. its all a front for money laundering, thats a cert
FFS, if any team in the league is going to be interested in "British Asians" it is going to be QPR under the current ownership.
Hull is one of the few cities not to be 'twinned' with anywhere. But it does have a suicide pact with Scunthorpe.
"QPR are not interested in the people of Southall. Why should they be, they are a professional football club?" That is a cheap shot by Singh. QPR have an excellent record of putting back into the local Community. I hope we blow them out of the water for that remark. I had heard that we are in pole position but you never know what deals are being struck. It could be in our interests anyway to delay until June just in case the unthinkable happens.
As good as their intentions may be, it's about profile and a state of the art sports complex ain't gonna get much profile being associated with a club/team like southall.
