A HISTORIC football tradition faces being wiped out to make way for a huge mega-estate, sparking outrage across the region.
For 350 years, residents of Ashbourne have played a massive annual football match spanning streets, rivers and fields – but plans to take over a huge chunk of farmland may spell the end of the derby.
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Furious footy fans and locals are fighting to stop 35 acres – equivalent to 20 football pitches – from being developed into 250 new homes.
Steve Jones, secretary of the Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide Football Committee, has written to the council to oppose the build, saying it could cause “significant harm to Ashbourne’s most important culture and economic assets”.
The Up’Ards – born north of Henmore Brook – have traditionally played the Down’Ards – born south of the river – every Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday since 1667 – though the game reportedly has its roots even earlier in the 12th century.
Known as “Royal Shrovetide Football”, the two-day game starts each day at 2pm and continues on until 10pm.
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There is no fixed boundary and the goalposts are three miles apart at opposite ends of the town in Sturston Mill and Clifton Mill.
The plans for a housing development are close to the Sturston Mill goal – which Steve points out would “obstruct a large proportion of the gameplay area”.
He described the plumbing plans for the site as involving “a deep, steep-sided and muddy pit” which would cause injury and “impede the game”.
In his view the planned mega-estate would “fundamentally undermine the continued operation of the game in its historic form” and will plummet the game’s success and attraction to tourists.
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“Consequently, the proposed development would not only provide significant harm to this unique cultural asset within Ashbourne, but it would also cause direct economic damage to the town through knock-on effects to the local economy and local tourism”, he said.
The famed match uses a specialty ball stuffed with corks to make it float in rivers, according to Ashbourne town council.
“Stout shoes are recommended if one decides to kick it in play”, they advised.
More than 670 people have signed a petition against the housing plans, warning that the scheme poses an “irreversible threat” to Ashbourne’s culture.
Petition organiser Brett O’Connell claimed the proposed mega-estate “cuts straight across where the Royal Shrovetide game goes”.
He told the BBC: “We feel it would become an issue and the developers are aware of this by keeping a portion as open space. But the game doesn’t stick to planned routes so I think there’ll be quite a few people if they move in, they’ll be quite shocked about what happens on the day.”
The developer, Hallam Land Management, has defended the plans and said that the development would “deliver a sensitively designed residential addition to Ashbourne”.
They added: “The various constraints and opportunities of the site have been carefully considered.”
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Derbyshire Dales district council is currently considering the proposals.
The event draws thousands of players and spectators each year – King Charles has even starred as the “turner up” – the revered local chosen to start the match by throwing the ball in the air.
Wild photos show players dangling down into rivers in a match which notoriously has very few rules.
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Churchyards, cemetaries and places of worship are out of bounds however and more recently a ban on motorised vehicles was put in place to stop players from zooming the ball to the goal posts.
In this year’s match, the Up’ards won 3-0.