The proposed soccer academy that Bradford City wants to build at Apperley Bridge was bound to provoke objections. For a start, it is on Green Belt land in a pleasant, largely undeveloped part of the lower Aire Valley. It is also adjacent to the main road to Harrogate which is always busy, with bumper-to-bumper traffic at rush hour.

In addition, the narrow Apperley Road which runs along one edge of the site is used as a rat-run by drivers trying to avoid Greengates traffic lights and by residents of the new estate on the other side of the canal.

So there is plenty for the planners to think about on those grounds alone. And now a heritage factor has been introduced by objectors, who believe the land was the site of a Civil War battle. That has yet to be verified, but Leeds Council has now stepped into the fray, claiming that the building will spoil the view of people living on its side of the city boundary - which runs along Apperley Lane.

However, to set against that is the fact that a soccer academy is very important to Bradford City. Most Premiership clubs have one or are developing one. When transfer prices are as inflated as they are at present, it pays to be able to grow your own talent and encourage local youngsters. The academy also promises to provide an important facility for the community.

The academy concept is an excellent one. Let us hope the concerns of the residents can be ameliorated and a way forward can be found to make it a reality.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.