A city councillor involved in a high profile row with Liverpool FC over the future of its Melwood training complex has revealed his plan for the site.
Knotty Ash councillor Harry Doyle stormed out of a meeting with Reds bosses last month after he tried to stop them going ahead with plans to flatten Melwood and replace it with 160 homes when the club moves its base to Kirkby next summer.
Cllr Doyle and hundreds of local residents believe the housing will create large problems for the local community - and also say Melwood's legacy should be one for the benefit of the community.
But LFC has continually pointed out that it has already secured planning permission for the project and carried out community consultation as part of that process.
Today, Cllr Doyle has revealed one idea he has been working on for what Melwood could be used as in the future.
In a statement on Twitter, he also addressed criticisms he has received over his campaign - and confirmed that he is in fact a Liverpool fan.
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Cllr Doyle said: "As I drove past Melwood training ground on Tuesday this week, I saw several children and young adults climbing on bins to peer over the wall to try and catch the attention of their football heroes.
"Where usually I would think about the poor residents whose bins are being used, I didn't think about that this time.
"Instead I felt quite upset when I thought when I thought about what LFC are planning for the site, leaving no trace of them ever being there."
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He said he thought again about his recent meeting with LFC, where he claimed the club appeared not to care about the community.
Speaking about the response to the last article in the ECHO, Cllr Doyle said: "I received a bit of stick from the last ECHO article from LFC supporters and I'd just like to clear one thing - I am indeed an LFC supporter and my dad would kill me otherwise. This isn't about the game - this is about business."
Cllr Doyle said he has since been asked by many people what alternative schemes there could be for Melwood - and says he has been working on one in particular.
He said: "For the past few weeks I have been in regular contact with the CEO of a sport group leading the way in Futsal, a football-like sport that is currently rising in popularity worldwide."
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Cllr Doyle said the council has been "fully appraised" of the proposal and has made it clear to LFC that local councillors back the idea.
He said: "I am unable to discuss it in further detail as the group wish to engage with LFC anbd discuss their proposal in full. However what I will say is that it will add great benefit to the community and businesses within the region."
He claimed the venture would "further enhance" Liverpool's standing in the community.
The young Knotty Ash councillor repeated his reasons for objecting to the existing housing plan - raising concerns about the impacts of traffic, pollution, school places and other local amenities.
When asked previously about the Melwood campaign, a spokesman for Liverpool Football Club said: “The views of the local community have been an important part of the planning process and consideration was given to all feedback raised during the consultation process, which included just under 3,000 local residents and businesses in the area. We continue to liaise with local residents and have offered to discuss any further feedback following their meeting.”
