East Retford Rugby Club is celebrating a £100,000 grant from Bassetlaw District Council that will help to modernise their facilities and grow the game in the district.
The Council’s £100,000 Club Changer grant will give East Retford Rugby Club the impetus to start development on a new clubhouse at their Ordsall Road ground, in addition to attracting more adults and children from the surrounding areas to play rugby.
Having received the money earlier this year, the grant has kick-started the project enabling the rugby club to secure planning permission, appoint architects and begin clearing and preparing the site for development and groundworks.
East Retford’s current clubhouse and facilities date back to the late 1970s and, as a collection of recycled post-war prefab buildings, has come to the end of its useful life.
As part of the four-year project, the club will build a new clubhouse that includes changing rooms, shower areas, a bar and social area and equipment storage to be used by the rugby club and other sporting clubs based in the area. It will also include a Changing Spaces to increase accessibility and inclusivity at the club, in addition to a children’s play area to encourage and foster membership for players with young families.
Over the course of this year, the club will look to secure additional funding that will allow the project to develop.
Richard South, Club Development Officer, said: “This grant will really help the club and kick-start the project, as well as create a platform for future funding bids.
“Our junior teams currently have to get changed in their cars, so the improved facilities for our younger members will really make a difference, give them the space and facilities they need and help to expand our junior section.
“This will also give us the opportunity to increase participation and grow our sport in the wider area, bring more people down to the club and give the senior teams greater sustainability in the longer term, and attract other sports clubs to base themselves at the ground.”