The future development of a north Norfolk football club looks to have been given a boost thanks to a North Norfolk District Council licensing decision.

Eastern Daily Press: North Walsham Town FC grounds.PHOTO: ANTONY KELLYNorth Walsham Town FC grounds.PHOTO: ANTONY KELLY (Image: © ARCHANT NORFOLK 2012)

Committee members of North Walsham Town Football Club spoke at a licensing sub-committee meeting to plead their case for a variation to the licence of the club's Greens Road clubhouse.

They successfully convinced the sub-committee to grant the variation of the licence during a meeting at the council's Cromer offices on Tuesday, after explaining the community benefits of the club.

Neil Coop, the club's secretary, said: 'I feel assured that young and old enjoy our facilities in the community and I think it needs to expand and develop, and with your help we can do that.'

Mr Coop explained the clubhouse licence needs updating to allow the club to explore ways of making more money but also to cover current uses.

He explained that Norwich City Football in the Community courses are held at Greens Road in the summer and coaching videos have been shown on the television of the clubhouse before, but the club's current licence doesn't cover this.

The licence updates and expands the club's licence to allow it to put on indoor and outdoor plays, films, live music, recorded music and similar entertainments, as well as indoor sporting events.

These can be held from 11am to 1am the next day between Monday and Saturday and 11am to 10.30pm on Sundays.

The sale of alcohol to club members has also been extended from 11am to 1pm the next day between Monday and Saturday and 11am to 10.30pm on Sundays.

However Mr Coop said: 'We may have a quiz or something of that nature where the idea is to raise funds because we are self-sufficient and all the people involved with the club are not paid, they all do it voluntarily.

'An extension to the time would help us, not that we want to sell alcohol to that time (1pm), because to be quite honest, by that point all the volunteers have been at work or day or have been organising football all day, so to be quite frank, we can't be bothered.

'But if something comes up at least it's in place.'

The licence now also includes the grassed area between the clubhouse and Greens Road, which backs on to houses on Kingsway.

Mr Coop said there were no plans to hold any large events however and said the club's events were usually supported by around 70 people.

The sub-committee chairman Richard Price, councillor for the Waxham ward, was flanked by Ann Green, Wensum Valley ward councillor, and Mundesley ward councillor Brian Smith.

They granted the licence with two additions; that notices will be displayed at all exits asking people to be quiet when outside and leaving the venue, as well as a member of the club's committee being responsible for control of volume and amplification of music at events, with their mobile phone number being advertised on the notices.