FOOTBALL in Alton is going from strength to strength following the upgrading of the enclosure in Anstey Park, and the planned amalgamation of Alton Town Football Club and Alton United Youth Football Club.

Triggered by the need for Sydenhams Wessex League side Alton Town to vacate the Coors Sports ground in Anstey Road, and as a condition of planning to develop the site, Molson Coors has paid for the upgrade of the Anstey Park facility, which is now shared by the two clubs.

And now a deal has been struck which will enable Basingstoke Town to use the enclosure for daytime training sessions – a deal which is expected to add an extra layer to Alton’s player development pyramid.

It is another positive step forward, according to youth football club chairman Ben Norfolk, who explains that the merger of the two Alton clubs will happen before the start of the 2016/17 season and will result in a combined club of 33 teams and 400 players ranging in age from four to over 50s walking footballers.

To be known as Alton FC, the new club will be run by a mix of the two committees.

Mr Norfolk continued: “Many of the functions and roles are yet to be decided and, along with a lot of the decisions, need to be decided at the first meeting of the new club, to be held after both clubs’ annual meetings have taken place.”

As the process of joining the two clubs takes place during the next few months, the aim will be to move to one new website – although for those wanting to check the progress of the merger via the website, “as the club is run entirely by volunteers, this won’t be an overnight occurrence”, according to Mr Norfolk.

Owned by Alton Town Council, and leased to the clubs, the upgraded enclosure facility which includes a new 3G (third generation) turf pitch and covered stand, floodlighting and refurbished changing rooms, was officially opened on December 12, and has been well used ever since.

And now there is a chance to make even greater use of the facilities. Not only will the deal with Basingstoke Town provide this opportunity, but the current uncertainty surrounding the neighbouring club’s own ground must strike a strong chord with Alton Town Football Club which, for several years before the Anstey Park solution was agreed, was in danger of being homeless itself.

Mr Norfolk said: “With the problems Basingstoke FC has and is still experiencing regarding a new home, the Anstey Park enclosure is a perfect all-weather training location to help them attract players for their squad.

“The relationship between Basingstoke FC and Alton FC will also help by adding an extra layer to our player development pyramid, to encourage our male players to aspire to higher levels.”

And it is not just the men who are snapping up opportunities.

“Our ladies’ team will be moving to regional level football from next season after a successful season, culminating in reaching the Hampshire Cup final,” said Mr Norfolk.

“The female side of the club is really growing, so to have a regional side for our five younger teams to aspire to is a fantastic achievement for the team and the club.”

On a housekeeping level, to meet a condition of planning on the football enclosure, and to serve other park users and the area as a whole, the football club has just fitted a 24-hour public access defibrillator which is attached to the wall outside the main entrance gates to the enclosure.

Funded by a grant from the British Heart Foundation, the defibrillator is housed in an unlocked yellow Defibsafe container and needs no training for anyone to use during an emergency. Step by step instructions are spoken by the automated external defibrillator and it even analyses the heart rhythm to provide the correct level of treatment.

When open, the Alton FC clubhouse also has an emergency use phone to call the emergency services.

The club will soon be running training sessions in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other skills to further enhance the lifesaving ability of the defibrillator. Combined use of a defibrillator and CPR is reported to increase heart attack survival chances by 80 per cent. The hope is to encouraged attendance by representatives from all park-based organisations, as well as Alton Town Council ground staff, residents and casual park users, such as dog walkers.