A BAR tipped to pump vital revenue back into Great Yarmouth Town Football Club has been allowed to extend its opening hours.Legends on Sandown Road will now be able to open 8am until 2am six nights a week, and 8am until midnight on Sundays.

A BAR tipped to pump vital revenue back into Great Yarmouth Town Football Club has been allowed to extend its opening hours.

Legends on Sandown Road will now be able to open 8am until 2am six nights a week, and 8am until midnight on Sundays.

The Bloaters director of football, former Norwich City player Dale Gordon, has been overseeing events at Legends, which has had a £24,000 refurbishment.

At a meeting of the borough council's licensing committee at the town hall on Friday , Mr Gordon said the club had been struggling financially and that he and chairman Steve Brierley desperately wanted to turn that around.

He said: “We looked at the licence and felt it had to be changed. Legends has undergone a major refurbishment and is now a contemporary bar, it is not a nightclub. It is used by players on match days and for committee meetings and by supporters and we will make sure sufficient funds are pumped back into the football club.”

Mr Gordon explained a series of events, including a 50th birthday party and christening had been held in the 50-people capacity bar using temporary events licences.

He added: “The idea of the bar is to have somewhere to relax and enjoy a drink without mad music. Most importantly the football club will benefit from this.”

Reacting to objections to the licence from local hotel owners, Mr Gordon said: “We are aware of what clients we want in the bar. We don't want groups of young lads or stag and hen parties as it has been suggested in the objections. This will be a bar where couples could come for a quiet drink before or after a meal.

“We have taken away Sky Sports and Setanta because we do not want it to be that sort of establishment.”

He said a forthcoming evening with Dion Dublin had sold well and would bring vital funds into the football club.

Mr Gordon added it was not his intention to open the bar seven nights a week and said he had applied for a licence until 2am for six nights of the week so the bar could host a special weeknight event every now and then.

Objector Peter Boon of the Arona Hotel in Sandown Road said his main concern was with noise associated with the bar such as music and people leaving late at night.

He said: “My hotel guests deserve a peaceful night's sleep. With all the best intentions in the world it's still an application for six nights a week until 2am. It is a business and once it gets successful it will open four, five times a week.”

Mr Gordon's wife Lisa said the bar had held a variety of functions until 2am on weekends since May and asked Mr Boon if he or his guests had suffered any problems. He replied it had given him no cause for concern.