#33 Pipe Dreams

The Southsea seafront building that used to house the museum of the National Royal Marines has been sold today. https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/defence/portsmouths-old-royal-marines-museum-become-luxury-five-star-hotel-after-site-sold-3047095 

You may wonder what on earth that has to do with netball, well I’ll tell you. I was going to win Euromillions, buy it and base a fabulous netball centre there! 

Yes, really! 

My pipe dream is the latest in a long list of sites I have earmarked for my netball development home! It started in 1994 when the National Lottery was launched - I wasn’t even old enough to play! 

Mum and I used to walk to netball training past an old derelict building that would have been the perfect place for a sports hall and at least 4 outside courts. We’d have a gym and a meeting room and an office. Every week we used to make plans for it as we walked past! 

The building stayed derelict for a long time but in the last few years has been turned into a school, ironically with a lovely outdoor multi use facility but no netball lines! 🙄

The next facility in Portsmouth that became ‘available’ was HMP Kingston. A prison that had been mothballed and, importantly, up for sale! 😉

I had intimate knowledge of the site as I had worked there, for a brief time, in the early 2000s. It even had a full sized football pitch within the vast walls! There was already an old style gymnasium / sports hall and gym on site,  so it would have only taken a bit of remodelling! 

I had even researched historic planning permission, as the prison was around 100 years old. The only part of the site that had to remain for a new purpose, was the gate house. It would have made a very original entrance to a netball centre! 

That site was inevitably sold for housing and the diggers and construction vehicles moved in probably a year ago now. Not much progress has been made, mind you! 

So, my attention turned to the Royal Marines Museum which has a beautiful view across the Solent and vast grounds for outside courts and car parking! There may have even been room for a dome to ensure netball all year round! 

Alas, it was not meant to be on this occasion and it’s actually been sold to hoteliers. I look forward to visiting it as a 5 star hotel! 

So, on to my next search for the dream netball centre in Portsmouth! No stone will go unturned although I do wonder if a win on the lotto will be enough these days!