Cardiff City Korfball Club have started a petition to stop the closure of sports facilities in Heath Park, Cardiff, after the council backtracked on its decision to lease the building to the club.

In August 2018, Cardiff Council agreed in principle to Cardiff Korfball Club’s offer to take over ownership and running of the facilities. Then in April 2019, the council began pursuing a commercial lease to turn the facilities into offices for Cardiff University. Club committee member and Chair of Wales Korfball, James Wilcox, 26, launched the petition after his requests to the council for a meeting were ignored. Mr Wilcox said although the council claims the building is underused, the real issue is that the facilities are not made widely available and that football teams who use the park’s pitches don’t even know about the facility.

The park’s facilities are used by various groups, including korfball and archery clubs, who rely on the space for changing and storage. If they were to close, these clubs will no longer be able to operate in Heath Park.

Words and images by Matthew Lofthouse