Iconic Bronx-based J’can institution Wembley Athletic Club closes its doors
Published:Thursday | October 5, 2023 | 12:07 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
An iconic Bronx-based institution, Wembley Athletic Sports Club, has closed its doors after more than 50years of operation.
The present president, on whose watch the facility closed, Addiambo Balewa, confirmed to The Gleaner that the location has closed, but said he had no authority to say why.
“The club is not open at this time, but I have no authority to say anything about it at this time,” the president said.
It is understood that the club was forced to close due to financial problems resulting from poor management. It is further understood that the property is up for sale or has been sold.
Reports to The Gleaner are that the leadership of the club took out an equity loan on the property at high interest rates and have been unable to meet the payments due to dwindling membership, lack of community support, and bad management.
The club has been experiencing financial problems, but no effort was made to reach out to community organisations and community leaders who could help.
The club was founded in the 1950s by Jamaicans who desired engagement in sporting activities such as cricket, football and table tennis, among others. It eventually evolved into a facility that catered not only to sports but other civic functions.
It started as a members’ club and played host over the years to many Jamaican visiting sports personalities, as well as elected Jamaican officials and other visiting Jamaicans.
After occupying rented space on White Plains Road in the Bronx for a number of years, the club acquired its own property on East 239 Street, also in the Bronx.
LEADERS IN DISBELIEF
The closure of the facility has drawn disbelief from several community leaders.
Dr Karren Dunkley, former Jamaica Diaspora council member, said the closure of Wembley represents not just a loss of a venerable institution, but a devastating blow to the social and athletic community.
“For decades, Wembley served as a pivotal lever for sports access, offering programmes that nurtured local talent and fostered a sense of unity and achievement among its participants. Its dissolution eradicates a critical legacy, leaving a void that reverberates beyond the absence of a sports facilities and threatens to marginalise underserved populations relying on Wembley’s social engagement and upward mobility initiatives,” she said.
She said the community must demonstrate a more concerted effort to support and preserve its legacy organisation.
Irwine Clare said the closure of Wembley was another example of the community losing legacy institutions.
“We have a legacy of losing assets in our community,” said Clare.
He sees the closure as diminishing the presence of Jamaican community-based organisations.
He said Jamaican organisations across the board were not attracting new and younger members, and questioned why this was so.
“We sing the praises of young Jamaicans making good, but they do not show up, joining our organisations, and I have to wonder why this is so,” he told The Gleaner.
Clare said there are assets in the community, but it ends up losing those assets and attribute the loss to the community not coming together to support its organisations.
LACK OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Leslie Clarke, a lifetime member of Wembley, told The Gleaner that the club has been lacking in financial support and suffering poor management, with nothing being done to turn around the fortunes of the facility.
“Wembley was a great source for community unity and my hope is that it could have turned around, but the management seems to have deteriorated,” he said.
He added the closure of the facility was a great loss for the community, which would continue to lose vaunted institutions if it does not come together and support them.
Clarke bemoaned the closure and pointed out that legacy organisations in the community continue to be diminished.
Jeff Barnes, attorney and radio show host, who is also a long-time member of the club, said the main problem with the club is that the membership aged and new people were not attracted to the institution.
Wembley’s closure joins the loss of the Jamaica Police Oficers headquarters, that was located on Tilden Avenue in Brooklyn, and the recent sale of the radio station WVIP that knocked Jamaican and Caribbean programming off the air.