independent Cornish news and comment

Pirates to Move to New Ground

Penzance and Newlyn rugby president Richard Evans has spelt out an exciting vision of the future for Cornwall's leading club in their quest to reach English rugby's top tier.
At a packed fans forum at the Mennaye Field last Dicky Evans admitted the West Cornwall club had reached a "watershed" in its history and the time had come for the Pirates to realise their dream of Premiership rugby.

Evans' future vision includes a potential change of the club's name to the Cornish Pirates and to form a new company - Penzance-Newlyn Rugby Limited - and to relocate their playing home in the short term to a site o­n the A30 in mid Cornwall.

"Cornish rugby is a sleeping giant and now is the time to awaken that giant," declared Evans. "We are a Premiership club in waiting and this is the time for us to finally move forward and realise our dream."

The thought of both renaming and moving the Pirates is sure to cause some debate amongst the ever-loyal home faithful, but as Evans was quick to stress to the assembled masses: "To realise our dream it is simply not possible to do this as we are. Penwith has a catchment area of 130,000 people, central Cornwall has a catchment of 450,000. To move this club is tearing me apart, but we have to be realistic."

Evans confirmed the club had looked at potential new sites within the local area, but it became clear they were non-starters from the outset because of cost and logistics and other options had to be explored.

Those options include the proposed A30 site, which will go before members at a special EGM to be held in the not too distant future. Based o­n a similar principle to that employed by Plymouth Albion at their Brickfields ground, it will involve the building of a temporary site before a purpose-built stadium - which meets all Premiership criteria - will be built to host the Cornish Pirates.

As for the Pirates' current base at the Mennaye, that will remain, confirmed Evans. Not o­nly would it act as a permanent training base for the Cornish Pirates, but it would continue to serve the Pirates' members, as well as the many junior and mini clubs.

Plans spelt out also included the building of a new clubhouse, changing facilities, gymnasium and medical room, as well as upgrading the club's main grandstand.

That news will come as a boost to coach Jim McKay, who has had to juggle training this season between sites at Newquay, RNAS Culdrose and Penzance. "It's important we have a base that we can call home," said the Australian, who also spelt out his desire to not o­nly add to his playing staff, but also his coaching and backroom staff before the start of next season.

"If we want to complete we need to have things right off the field, as well as o­n it," added McKay. "Not o­nly will we benefit from all these plans, but all the other sections associated with the club will as well. By getting these things in place we aim to hit the season fully running