Hunmanby FC Faces Four-Month Eviction Notice From Village Playing Fields

A local football club has been given just four months to find a new pitch after a parish council ended its agreement to use the village playing fields.

Home football fixtures for nearly one hundred local players will face major disruption in January. Hunmanby Parish Council officials issued a four-month eviction notice to Hunmanby FC this week, ordering the club to vacate the village playing fields by the third of January.

The decision was made during a parish council meeting on the second of September. Club representatives say they were not made aware that their use of the fields was being discussed and were not given the opportunity to attend.

The eviction notice comes as a significant shock to the club, which was founded in March 2025 and fields two teams in the East Riding County Football League. Members had actively been seeking a meeting with the council to discuss long-term facility improvements and external funding.

Hunmanby FC secretary and treasurer Keegan Kennedy said:

"We've been in communication with the council since late July requesting a meeting to look at some grants for work we needed completing to improve the facilities and allow both of our teams to play on the same day as currently we only have one pitch available.

That email was sent in July and I was informed this would be sent to a council meeting and I've been chasing the last few weeks, saying, when's this meeting taking place? I'd really like to attend, put my case forward and improve the team and then we get an email that we're evicted and we weren't given much explanation to the eviction. It's just you've got to the 3rd of January, you've had some conflict with local opposing teams so we don't know what the case is and that's what we're trying to find out at the moment."

Mr Kennedy explained the immediate impact the decision will have on the current season:

"There's not been any communication recently that our tenancy was at risk. I've tried to have open communication with the council in regards to a few things, so to be served an eviction notice was a major shock to the club.

We've got four months up until the 3rd of January to play there. That's halfway through our season and football facilities are few and far between in the local region, which is why we're massively grateful for the agreement we have with the parish council and the facilities we do currently have available.

If the worst does come to pass and we have to leave the field, we have already been offered ground shares with Bridlington Town Rovers and AFC Eastfield which we're massively grateful for, who have stepped up and gone, "If it happens, we will support you," and massively grateful for their offers."

Local councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff confirmed she is working with various parties to resolve the differences amicably. In social media posts over the weekend she stated that six parish councillors have now agreed to rescind the minute, allowing the authority to look at the issue again.

She added that the pitches belong to the community and are not for the sole use of one team, noting that previous attempts to engage with one user of the pitches had proven unsuccessful. However, she dismissed online rumours of a secret plot to sell the playing fields to a developer.

Councillor Donohue-Moncrieff said:

"I understand that there are social media posts regarding a communication from Hunmanby Parish Council to Hunmanby FC following a Premises Committee which took place.

I was not in attendance at the meeting and I am still establishing the full facts. Experience tells me that there are always two sides every story. 

However, I have been aware (but not personally involved) of issues/tensions that were brought to the Parish Council's attention relating to the use of playing fields. The pitches belong to the community and are not for the sole use of one team. 

I had also privately advised the Parish Council that having a team playing under the Hunmanby banner is a positive for the village. Any attempts to deal with issues should be handled sensitively.

That said, it has also been put to me that previous attempts to engage with one user of the pitches have proven unsuccessful.

I have spoken to Chairman of Hunmanby Parish Council and asked for a full explanation backed by evidence and direct complaints. I have also asked for clarification as to whether the Team involved was given the opportunity to attend last night's  meeting which is what should have happened. 

I believe that a resolution can be found but it must be on the basis that the pitches are available to all teams that wish to use them.

Finally, there is no secret plan to sell the playing fields to a developer. No devious plot. Jumping to that conclusion based a Facebook post from one side doesn't help"

"I now have the agreement of six Parish Councillors (including the three who attended the meeting on Wednesday) that the minute should be rescinded. This would allow the Parish Council look at this issue again.

 

A couple of Parish Councillors have also offered their time to help which is much appreciated.

Ironically, I did miss Saturday's match at Scarborough Athletic as a result. That's life! Fans at SAFC will know only too well the difference it makes when clubs, the Council, local Councillors and local community pull together."

Reflecting on the village's sporting history, Mr Kennedy added:

"For the past 40 years, the playing fields have been used for football and it's not just football, they used to have cricket team, Scarborough Pirates, rugby. It used to be the community hub for Hunmanby for all sporting activities.

This is the current incarnation of Hunmanby FC so we founded last March. I mean, football in Hunmanby has been taking place for close to 100 years. So football is a major part of the community. It's the community's history.

We've been using the facilities since last June when we first have our first competitive game. We've got 74 registered players and at last count we've had 96 players who have worn the Humber and B shirt in either a friendly or a non-competitive fixture.

We're playing against teams from the East Riding of Yorkshire, so Bridlington teams, Hull teams, teams as far as Goal and Selby. So that's for both teams. The first team are in the East Riding division four and the reserves are in the division five."

A spokesperson for Hunmanby Parish Council told This is the Coast:

"Hunmanby Parish Council is aware of the concern this matter has caused locally, and would encourage residents to wait for the full picture before drawing conclusions.

The Council is meeting directly with representatives of Hunmanby FC in the coming days to discuss the situation further."