Nothing Posh about Sports

The club average 360 people through the door, despite being promoted in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022.  The old cliché “win and they will come” doesn’t apply here.  The record low for any National League North game this season is the 160 who turned up for Sports v Curzon.  Peterborough has a population of over 200,000 so there is surely room for several football clubs to thrive.

Admission at the Bee Arena is pay on the day only (for obvious reasons) at £14 adults and £10 for concessions which includes over 60s.  Early season was cash only but that MAY have changed. Certainly, the Turnstile Tavern and refreshments hut are cash only.  Being a new ground, not a huge distance away while also being reachable for South-East exiles will mean a decent away following.  The Bee Arena is signposted off Lincoln Road, an area not short of shops and takeaways.

Hereford Awaydays guru Reg Reynolds describes Sports’ ground as “being like Westfields FC” and I can see what he means.  Total capacity is 1,900 with 250 seats split between two stands and a covered terrace for 280. It’s so step 5 which is exactly where they were 6 years ago… and still have a few players from that time.  The upgrading ground work started a month ago and Sports were given an extra months’ dispensation to complete the work due to “inclement weather.”  The ground is currently 3 sided dure to ongoing work.  Other clubs who were not given any flexibility in past years are displeased. Relegation candidates who were expecting Sporting to be forced into Step 3 don’t have polite words at the moment.

Sports’ main comms channel is the club bar facebook account.  Club staff, owners and fans all use this. Very Step 5.

Information is sketchy on car parking – all very step 5 again.  Some nearby streets seem to be permit only after checking Google Maps and Streetwise. The roads off St Paul’s Road look OK but do check. One safe suggestion is The Fullbridge Academy PE1 3JQ five minutes’ walk away offering 55 spaces at £3 per car (card only).  Unhelpfully, this was locked for their previous home game.

The previous manager Jimmy Dean cleverly bought in a hard core of seasoned step 2 players before he was headhunted for the full-time Scunthorpe job, taking the clubs best player with him.  That went well with the Iron being relegated over Easter.

Sports ‘names’ include Connor Johnson and Connor Kennedy two of Kettering’s better performers last term. They already have 3 former Kings Lynn players in their ranks, four ex-Boston and even a former Bull in the shape of Jordan Nicholson. Sports have one street-wise though small squad.

Sports have new ownership and novice temporary managers.  The Turbines have lost their las two on their own park with a middling home record of 9-5-7.   Said novice managers are tree surgeon and ex Kings Lynn striker Michael Gash (36) and Sports company owner Luke Steele. He’s an ex-goalkeeper who played 350 pro games at a decent level though rather oddly played as a forward for his last club.)  Gash is actually player-manager, more a question of having to play as their other target man was injured.  He’s found the net 5 times with the top scorer is Jordan Crawford with 9 goals.  Our hosts have a Dan Jarvis in midfield so minutes of confusion guaranteed.

The Sports 2022 accounts included profit and loss fine detail rarely shared by a privately-owned club.  Total income for their promotion season in 21/22 was £150,000 but they spent nearly three times more than that. They started the season owing £148,000 and since then their wage bill and travel bill must have shot up.  Little wonder the previous owner Grant Biddle wanted to bail out.  The new owner is a local businessman, Tim Woodward, who has presumably dipped into his pockets to sign three new attacking players and an overnighter in Spennymoor.  And fund building work.

See you in Cambridgeshire.

(Thanks to the Valley Dog Seapubs for their help in compiling this piece).