PSA announce intentions to make move to Mansfield
HAWICK PSA have revealed plans to move from their Burnfoot base and share facilities with the town’s senior side at Mansfield Park.
But club president Billy McCracken has stressed the semi-junior outfit will remain independent from Hawick RFC and will not be turned into an academy side for the Greens.
The development comes after unsuccessful talks between Hawick Wanderers and PSA in recent months.
Mr McCracken said: “Talks had been ongoing and we put a paper together to put to our committees about the best way forward. We voted for the option but the Wands were keen to stick with the status quo.
“We were effectively on our own so we had to decide what was the best way forward. We wanted to make the boys feel a bit more professional and I thought the only way we could do that would be to agree on a move to Mansfield.”
Mr McCracken admitted sourcing players for two semi-junior sides was an issue but hoped the facilities at Mansfield Park, similar to those enjoyed by the Wands at Volunteer Park, would go some way to attracting new talent to the club, which has been using the cricket club for after-match hospitality for the last three years.
He added: “We’re still an independent club and there will be times when we need to play at Burnfoot to save the pitch for Hawick.
“If we can attract more boys by playing down there then that would be a great thing.”
It is understood the PSA may also benefit from occasional coaching sessions by Greens chief Phil Leck and his assistant Rocky Johnstone.
Hawick president Rory Bannerman said: “We see this as being a good mechanism to ensure both semi-junior clubs are able to continue to function.
“It’s certainly nothing to do with setting up an academy. We’re not giving them [the PSA] any money or full-time coaching. All we are doing is allowing them to use our facilities. It would have been the same if the Wands had asked us. We made it clear that if we can provide assistance to any of the two teams then we will in any way we can.”
Mr Bannerman revealed that the Centurion Club is funding additional coaching for an elite group of teenagers, which is being carried out by Leck and Johnstone.
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Saturday 18 May 2013
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