Copdock & OI CC - COVID Fundraiser

Copdock & OI Cricket Club - COVID Fundraiser

Our Story

Summary

Copdock & Old Ipswichian Cricket Club is a village sports club based near Ipswich in Suffolk that provides cricket activity for over 350 members of the local community.

Currently we field 8 senior teams, including 3 male Saturday teams, 2 male Sunday teams and 3 ladies’ teams (including a ladies softball side). We also have over 250 juniors from under 7 to under 19 playing matches and training. 

All year round the club’s facilities, field, square, pavilion and coaching provision are all maintained and managed by Martin and Jacky Taylor, together with a host of volunteers . This season, although heavily COVID-19 affected, saw the ground being prepared for 30+ fixtures. However, in a normal season we would host over 125 games ranging from Under 7 to minor counties three day games. Over a number of seasons the wicket and facilities have often been voted as the best in the region, winning the “Best Pitch” award in the East Anglian Premier League twice in the last 3 years. Developing and maintaining inspiring facilities has been part of our success story in the past 10 years to get more people more active.

With the drastic reduction in the 2020 season we lost out on much of our normal income streams which obviously creates cash flow issues. The club however still incurs the same fixed costs and we have also been unable, due to lockdown, time and financial constraints, to carry out several essential maintenance projects. We also face an equally challenging winter time ahead with COVID restrictions preventing all of our usual fund raising activity from taking place. 

This has impacted our finances significantly as a club, reducing revenues by in excess of £50,000. 

On top of this, one of the few positives of COVID has been a large increase in the number of juniors applying to be part of our training programme in 2021. Current demand will see a 20% rise in the number of junior members in 2021 to over 300 in total.

We are aiming to raise £20,000 in order to do the essential ground maintenance work and prepare adequately for the increased juniors next season, while recognising that 2021 is also likely to be impacted financially do to ongoing COVID limitations.

We have also applied to the Sport England Active Together Fund, hoping they will approve our application which will be also added to our total. To receive this however, we still need to reach our overall target of £20,000 from at least 100 separate pledges.

Cricket at the Club

Juniors

• Re-started back in 2006 with 30 members
• We run a number of competitive teams at the Under 9, 11, 13 and Under 15 level.
• Large girls' section that has been growing year on year

Ladies Cricket

• Started in 2005
• Includes competitive ladies fixtures but also recently the ladies softball team
• Our softball team is mostly made up of mums from the junior section and we have seen a great community emerging from this section

Senior Cricket

• Copdock and Washbrook was founded 1839 and merged with Old Ipswichians in 1997 
• In 2021 addition of a new “lads and dads” side
• Teams at a number of different levels with our 1st XI playing in the East Anglian Premier League, all the way down to friendly Sunday cricket.

Our aim is to encourage as many people to play cricket as possible from all backgrounds. We encourage this by keeping junior spaces as high as possible each year, putting a number of coaches through ECB coaching courses and ensuring a high quality, safe environment. 

Click here for more information around the playing aspect at the club.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Club

Lost Regular Income

There are 3 things we are trying to tackle:

• Solve immediate cash flow issues
• Fund essential maintenance projects
• Kick-start preparations for increased number of juniors this winter / next summer

This funding would ensure we have fully absorbed the impact of Covid-19, completed our essential work and put us in a position to move forward confidently next season. The impact playing sport can have at a time like this can be vital to improving individuals’ physical and mental health.

How will this money be spent?

The club relies on a number of volunteers each year taking on a whole host of responsibilities at the club.

In addition to this, each year, we incur significant costs that include preparing and maintaining the ground, pitch and facilities & equipment pre and post season, insuring the club, paying for the utilities and upkeep of the building and making sure that when everyone turns up to play or to train, that we are able to do so.

Normally, all of these costs are covered by the subscription and membership fees, bar profits, social events, fundraising and of course the sponsorship that we receive from local businesses. 

We have now partially re-opened to reintroduce some “normality” into the community and have played some cricket across all the age groups, albeit limited.

In addition, this year, there are a number of additional jobs that need doing which we are having to defer, in some cases, this means that by the time we can afford to do them, the situation will be worse and the associated costs will have escalated. 

These jobs include:

• Repair of net facilities
• Addition of 4 new grass wickets
• Outfield improvement
• Increased number of square covers
• A new mobile cage to allow increased training numbers for the community
• General increased quantity of kit for players to use
• Improvements to the club’s car park space
• ECB Coach Education courses

Our Community Involvement

The cricket club pavilion is a social hub for the local community. The bar & patio, looking out over the cricket field, are a lovely setting to enjoy a drink and a chat with friends whatever the weather.....

Achilles Youth Football Club

The football club have recently had issues providing food and drink offerings at junior matches. We are proud to have stepped in and offered to help and also offered our outfield during the winter months for matches. This will allow more players in the local area to stay active and involved in sport which is something especially in the current climate that is hugely important to both the physical and mental health of all involved.

(An example of some of the volunteer work done by Martin Taylor to help Achilles YFC improve their pitches at their ground behind our cricket club)

Tapeball Cricket (in conjunction with Copdock & Washbrook Tennis & Badminton Club)

As part of our drive to keep people as active and subsequently as healthy as possible, given the challenges of indoor sport and Covid-19. The club in conjunction with the local Tennis club has started an outdoor Tapeball mini league on a Friday night.

(For more information on this please click here)

Company Days Out 

We also throughout the year offer a number of option including matches and the use of our facilities to local sponsors and companies as team building days. Unfortunately due to the current COVID pandemic all of these events have been cancelled for 2020.

Community Schools Cricket Events

All Stars

As a club we were proud to feature in the All Stars Cricket campaign run by the ECB. We saw over 25 children from the local primary schools each week for cricket and general sports games. We also invited our All Stars to be part of a Suffolk CCC minor counties 3-day game where they played on the outfield during the intervals in front of the spectators.

Suffolk Schools Kwik Cricket Tournament

At the club we hosted the Suffolk schools KS1 Kwik Cricket Tournament. This included 100+ children all getting active in the community and competing for their school. 

Charity Events

We usually host a number of charity events throughout the year including race nights, quizzes and club functions. Over the last 5 years we have supported:

• East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH). 
• Keith Cracknell Foundation (who was the Chairman of our club until his death in 2018) 
• COVID-19 however put a stop to all these events and is estimated to have cost the club around £5k - £8k in potential revenue from last year.

The Healthcare Hundred NHS Campaign

Due to the restrictions in place this year we felt the need to do our part and raise some money for these Interim F1 doctors at Ipswich and Colchester Hospital. We did this through our campaign ‘The Healthcare Hundred’.

Children's Holiday Camps

We host during each of the school holidays a number of sports camps. 

• These camps are open to all
• Often over-subscribed even while accommodating for up to 90 children each day
• Unfortunately due to the current COVID-19 rules and regulations, the numbers of participants to each camp has been limited or in some cases had to be cancelled entirely.

Community Events / Functions

Throughout the year we hold a number of functions at the club. 

• These include events for the local community and unfortunately due to the current COVID-19 pandemic these have largely been cancelled in 2020. 
• Although these impact us directly through a financial loss it does not compare with the stress associated for the individuals attending / organising the event. 
• Often these people are either our neighbours or friends of the club and our sympathies are with them.

(An example of one of these groups using our facilities is the Copdock Village Primary PTA - pictured above)

Feedback & Testimonials from Summer 2020

Below are some of the comments received this summer after all the hard work put in by many at the club to get as many adults and juniors involved with sport as possible. 

• Thank you all for your wonderful efforts throughout what eventually became a lovely summer. The boys are very happy playing cricket there with newly found friends and it has been a pleasure to see the improvement they have both made since joining. What a great community it is and this is mainly due to your drive, enthusiasm for the children to improve and of course the wonderful hospitality provided by all at the club.
• Thank you so much for all your tremendous effort and time.  You have instilled a real passion and love of cricket in all my children and it’s a wonderful thing to see.

Finally we have received a comment from Suffolk Cricket Board's Rob Jones supporting our campaign and acknowledging all the hard work done by our club in the local community.

"Despite the challenges cricket clubs have faced this year, it's pleasing to see clubs like Copdock & OI's CC being proactive to try and generate much needed income into the club and also ensure cricket continues to be played. 

As you can see the club have outlined their Crowdfunder story which to be honest is only the tip of all the hard work the club and it's many hard working volunteers and staff have put in over the years. Not only are they very supportive of Suffolk Cricket Board and County Club events, they also provide and support a wide variety of cricketing opportunities for the local and wider communities.

The idea of Tapeball cricket is a new one to Suffolk and unsurprisingly Copdock & OI's CC are leading the way. To not only continue with cricket outdoors into the Autumn, but to also livestream it to spectators in the clubhouse, is a very innovative idea and certainly one I support and sincerely hope succeeds.  

Rob Jones - Cricket Operations Manager - Suffolk Cricket Board"

Thank you from everyone at Copdock & Old Ipswichian Cricket Club for taking the time to read our story. Any support would be greatly appreciated!