New Cricket Practice Nets

UPDATE- With just over 5 days to go until the campaign closes, we are delighted to announce that, with your support, we have been successful in reaching our target. This means that we will be able to press ahead with installing the club's much-needed new nets in time for next season. Thank you so much to everyone who has either donated or spread the word about our project.

The stretch target mentioned on this page is very much secondary to our aspiration to reach the initial target (which has been achieved); the club is keen not to be perceived as seeking yet more support, but merely seeks to assure donors that anything earned over and above the initial £16K will be used in a similar vein, namely the improvement of our training facilities for all playing members. Thanks again.

Who are we?

Collingham & District Cricket Club has been a well-loved part of the fabric of the village since 1849. The club has always represented more to local people than simply a venue for watching or playing cricket; it is a social hub, regularly hosting non-cricket events for the good of the wider community. 

We are a non-profit village club with new women's teams and a thriving juniors' section as well as a long-established competitive men's section. The club has grown significantly over the last 2 summers, representing a welcoming environment for anyone to visit, whether a cricket-lover or not.

Queen's Platinum Jubilee Fun Day- a free event for local people to attend.

Community impact

We have a long history of hosting free-to-attend community events, most recently a Platinum Jubilee Fun Day which will live long in the memory. Generations of locals have grown-up with the cricket club as part of their lives, either because they were introduced to the game through the junior section, or because of the innumerable community social events which have been hosted down the decades. 

Our main focus is sociable cricket however and we provide a facility centred around the enjoyment of the sport, either as a player, coach, club volunteer or spectator. We are always looking for new players, members and volunteers and pride ourselves on our inclusivity.

If we reach our goal of building the nets in time for the 2023 season, there will be an opening ceremony and celebratory event held afterwards open to the whole community, whether members or not, to mark the start of the season and to demonstrate the club's appreciation for the generosity of local donors and supporting businesses.

New visitors will be able to use the new nets as a taster session, before, we hope, considering starting to play the game and joining our club.

Why are we crowdfunding?

Our practice nets are nearly 20 years old and will soon become unsafe. We have a plan to replace the existing 2-lane facility with 3 new lanes, in line with our strategy to continue to grow the club's capacity to train players of all abilities.

Maintaining a high-quality facility is also vital to our goal of continuing to attract county representative teams to come and play at our ground. In recent years we have enjoyed hosting high-level women's teams as well as junior and disabled cricket. Renewal and enlargement of the practice nets is a critical aspect of allowing this to continue.

The old nets.

An idea of what we hope the new facility might look like.

This project is aligned with Birmingham 2022 and its objectives to Bring People Together and to Improve Health & Wellbeing.

How we’ll spend the money raised

Any donation you make will be ring-fenced for this project and will contribute directly to our ability to sustain our offer of cricket training for all as we grow in the future.

We also plan to take advantage of opportunities from funding bodies, corporate sponsors and local authority grants as we drive towards our overall target of £60k, to include the delivery of an all-weather match playing surface for our juniors.

UPDATE- The club would publicly like to thank the following local business who have helped the project by offering rewards for donors: Hayley Jayne (https://www.hayleyjaynebeauty.co.uk/), JD Nicolson & Son Family Butchers, Rose Orchard Chinese Restaurant (https://www.roseorchard.co.uk/), Aldridge Autos (https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Automotive-Repair-Shop/Aldridge-Autos-322602941738284/).

IF YOU OWN OR KNOW OF A LOCAL BUSINESS WHO MIGHT LIKE TO OFFER A REWARD FOR DONORS, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH ON 07775 612480.

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. Create a fundraiser of your own. Use the button on our page to get started. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!