Newark & Sherwood United’s potential new 500-seater stadium could be located on Newark’s Yorke Drive and house Carl Greaves’ Boxing Academy

The brains behind plans to bring a £1.5million sports stadium to Newark have said that the plans been met with “unanimous positivity”.

Last week’s Advertiser brought you the news that plans are in the offing for Newark & Sherwood United’s potential new 500-seater stadium, and a model of the plans was unveiled for players, coaches, and fans on February 15.

The stadium will be made of 66 repurposed shipping containers, with solar panels with battery storage, as well as rainwater harvesting technology, and will include enclosed stands, a bar and sponsors area, balconies overlooking the 3G pitch, changing rooms and facilities, with a training pitch adjacent.

It has now been revealed that the most promising location for the stadium will be on Yorke Drive, and on Saturday (February 22) Steff and Highwaymen representatives took the model of the stadium to the street in Newark to gauge the opinions of residents there.

Gusto’s founder and chairman Steff Wright, also chairman of Newark & Sherwood Utd, said that the feedback from the residents had been unanimously positive, and people had asked a number of questions about the plans.

“People were asking why this hasn’t been put in front of them before, and the answer is because we’ve been looking at a site for a long time and we haven’t been part of the Regeneration plans,” Steff explained, “But if we were to be able to deliver this on that site, then it won’t slow down the Regeneration project at all, which is what people were asking.

“We don’t believe there’s any reason why it would at all. This could work alongside the Regeneration and won’t change the time scale.”

Steff said that the feedback from residents also said that they want somewhere for youngsters to be able to go and enjoy sport without having to go all the way into Newark’s town centre and to have a Men in Sheds at the stadium as well.

Unemployed residents in Yorke Drive will be offered training and employment to help with the construction of the stadium, as well as in stadium maintenance and grounds-keeping, coaching, hospitality, and events management.

Another exciting aspect will be plans to have Carl Greaves’ boxing academy, located on Castlegate, use the stadium as its base, as Carl will be vacating his current base in Newark next year in July when the lease on the building is up.

Carl said: “It’s a great option and it’s the top option I’m considering, and having my boxing gym in a stadium will be a fantastic possibility.

“Quite a few youngsters and juniors are travelling down from that area [Yorke Drive] to my gym and it will be great for the community.

“Steff has got lots of plans and and I’m really looking forward to it if it comes off.”

Steff added: “There will have to be lots of negotiations with the district council and the developers and and Sport England that would have to take place for this to happen, but at the moment that Yorke Drive is the most promising location for the stadium.”

A petition has also been started by Steff to garner support for the plans.