PLANS to help strengthen grassroots sports in Newquay have kicked off.

Representatives from the sporting community attended a roundtable discussion at the Mount Wise Stadium on Tuesday, March 31.

The gathering, which was chaired by Newquay and St Austell MP Noah Law MP, brought together sports clubs from across the town alongside representatives from Cornwall Council, Newquay Town Council and the Duchy of Cornwall to explore how shared resources and joined-up support could strengthen grassroots sport in the town.

The conversation focused on the practical challenges facing volunteer-led clubs and how resources might be shared across sports.

Discussions were also held on how town, county, national government and the Duchy could work in partnership to deliver “meaningful” support to community sport in Newquay.

Representatives from swimming, running, hockey, golf, surfing and rowing clubs joined the discussion alongside Newquay AFC, reflecting the range of sports the town supports and the common ground that exists across it.

One theme that emerged was the need for shared training space and activity facilities, which was a constraint felt across the room, regardless of sport. The discussion explored how a coordinated approach, bringing together the different levels of support available, could help address that in a way no single club could achieve alone.

Mr Law said: “With the issues with Newquay’s sports facilities that multiple clubs have been facing, some for over 20 years, it was great to get the ball properly rolling on securing a strategic, long-term solution for all sports clubs across the town.”

Al Lenton, vice chairman of Newquay AFC, added: “Newquay AFC hosted the meeting as a club with a story that speaks to what is possible.

“Volunteer-run and not-for-profit, funded by the community it serves, it runs over 20 youth teams alongside senior, women’s and veterans’ football.

“On a typical Saturday, around 500 people come through the gate, backed by more than 80 local business sponsors.

“Different ages, different backgrounds. For many of them, the community gathering is the point.

“It is, in the government’s own terms, community sport acting as social infrastructure.

“The club is in its first ever season at step five of the English football pyramid, the highest level in its 136-year history built on sustainable, community-backed foundations.

“What the conversation made clear is that the same potential exists across Newquay sport more broadly.

“The will is there, the clubs are there, and the right partnerships, across every level, could help deliver on it.

“We were proud to host this conversation, and to make the case for what the right support could do, not just for us, but for sport across this town.

“The atmosphere here on a match day tells you everything about this club.

“People come because they want to be here, and that backing is why we keep pushing: more teams, better facilities, bigger ambitions on the pitch and off it.

“We have built something the town can be proud of, and we were glad to make the case for what the right investment could do next.”