Who are we?

Ashton Bears ARLFC is a community rugby league club established in 1987. We provide rugby league experiences for ages from 4 - 80, for male and female alike, and from any socio-economic background, sexual orientation or special educational need. We have representative teams for all ages, and in some age groups we have two teams (U18s boys). We have a blossoming Women’s Open Age team and a new Masters team (over 35s).

Why are we crowdfunding?

We have been awarded £15,000 by Sport England in match funding for this project.  The total amound of £30,000 is reliant on crowdfunding of £15,000 which will be matched by Sport England Movement Fund and allow us to complete the project and provide better experiences for our community. 

How we’ll spend the money raised

All money raised and matched by Sport England will be used to build a large decked area with barriers and an access ramp to the pitch side, creating a welcoming space for our community and extended community.  A 23m x 7m decked area with balustrade will add much needed space to our communal area for use during and after matches, during training and events, and for community groups to enjoy reftreshments.

Community impact

Rugby League is an inclusive sport.  Team sport is well known to give many advantages to participants from friendship and socialising, to fitness and health.  This project will enable us to offer the opportunity to be involved in the rugby league and Ashton Bears community to more people and improve the environment in which they are involved.

We are part of the Rugby League’s Community Wellbeing Hub scheme, which means our clubhouse is utilised, at no cost, by other Community Interest Companies / Charities, and are serving our local community with mental health support, suicide counselling, company for over 55s that are suffering from isolation, and Employment training for unemployed women in the local area.

How you can play your part

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target, and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!