Morecambe match on despite security HQ lockdown

Morecambe players celebrating their goal at Doncaster Rovers last Saturday.

The Globe Arena match day control room has been under lock and key for several weeks after its parent company went into administration.

The room is usually the nerve centre for safety and security systems needed for Morecambe match days such as CCTV and the stadium fire alarm.

But Rod Taylor, Morecambe FC director, said the club has put a contingency plan in place to ensure Saturday’s League Two game – the first at the Globe Arena since the control room was locked – can go ahead.

“All safety systems we require for the game will be in place for Saturday,” said Mr Taylor on Thursday morning.

“We had a meeting with the safety adviser and everything has been approved by the safety authorities.”

He said the HQ would be next to the sponsors’ lounge inside the stadium.

After PMG Leisure went into administration in December, Morecambe FC originally said the usual control room would still be available for match days.

But London-based administrators Moorfields then closed down PMG’s facilities on January 20.

A Moorfields spokesman said this was “following a review of the viability of PMG’s assets from a financial and valuation perspective and in consultation with the secured lender”.

Artificial pitches and changing rooms used by the Morecambe youth teams and hired out to the community were also closed.

Graham Burnard, the Durham tax consultant who has been locked in a dispute over the ownership of Morecambe FC with Brazilian football agent Diego Lemos, said last Friday that he was trying to do a deal with Moorfields to buy PMG Leisure so the club could use its facilities again.

The Cambridge match kicks off at 3pm at the Globe and is sponsored by The Visitor.

All adult supporters will get a free pie and a pint, courtesy of manager Jim Bentley and SkyBet, and all children can have a free hot dog and soft drink.