Transport to Flamingo Park - What's the problem?
But, it is not just the Wands' men's team who play there. The club has numerous junior teams, consisting of both boys and girls, as well as a senior ladies' team. In addition to all those teams, Flamingo Park is also a hub for community groups and families to use the excellent facilities. It is an oasis, if you like, in a desert of busy roads and far away bus stops and train stations.
Yet, how can supporters and users of the facilities on offer get to the place if they have no transport of their own, when the nearest bus stop is 20 or 30 minutes away from the ground and the nearest railway station is even further away? And those anomalies don't even take into account the elderly supporters of our football club, nor of disabled supporters trying to get to watch a decent-level of football match, when neither group has their own transport. Then there's supporters of other football clubs, who have so far put off following their own teams when they play at Flamingo Park, because of the lack of a localised public transport infrastructure in the immediate Sidcup Bypass area.
At the moment, the club has recognised that two existing bus routes could potentially be slightly rerouted to stop outside or very near to Flamingo Park and without causing undue congestion to the already overused roads in the immediate area. The location of the current nearest bus stop means that supporters, both disabled and able-bodied, players, youngsters, families and so on have to negotiate the extremely busy and potentially dangerous A20 road in order to get a bus 'to the ground' and back.
Most football clubs in the UK tend to enjoy life in the heart of the city, town or village that they represent. However, when it comes to Cray Wanderers, who spent the first 113 years of its existence moving from ground to ground within the confines of St Mary Cray, St Paul's Cray and even fleetingly in Foots Cray, the club was unceremoniously booted out of the area due to various reasons beyond their control in 1973, as already documented elsewhere and have not been able to get back since.
So, what can YOU do as a football supporter, groundhopper or just someone who likes football or attending community functions do about the current lack of public transport in the immediate vicinity of Flamingo Park? Well, for starters, how about taking a couple of minutes of your valuable time to go and sign the club's online petition? Pretty please.😉
Who knows, one day you may find cause to use the facilities at Flamingo Park, but then find it very difficult or impossible to get a bus there if you don't have your own transport. It is important to the club, it is important to our supporters and, sooner or later, it could be important to YOU. Please sign the online petition today and ask your friends, family members and work colleagues to do the same. You don't even need to be a resident of the area, nor even a Cray Wanderers supporter per se but, your kind gesture will be very much appreciated.
Thank you.
Trevor Mulligan