Dart Netball - Paignton Court Upgrade

Who are we?

We are a not-for-profit community sports club providing netball opportunities for boys and girls aged 8 to senior level, offering netball for all across the whole of Torbay and South Devon. We have grown significantly since Covid and have over 280 members playing in 20 U18 teams and 5 senior teams. We were founded in 2015, won Torbay Sports Club of the year in 2018 and won England Netball  South West Club of The Year, 2023. 

We play in a variety of leagues: Exeter, Plymouth, Torbay, Riviera, regional, county and multiple tournaments and we train at Torbay Leisure Centre and South Devon College. This summer we took 100 girls and 10 teams on tour, concluding a fun year with lots and lots of netball over one weekend. Our club has recently had success in regional competitions. With this success comes the need to play on a full-sized netball court.

Why are we crowdfunding?

The courts at Torbay Leisure Centre comply with England Netball regulations for training and community play. However, they do not comply with the size regulations for regional matches.

Our goal is to draw new lines for one court across the existing two courts. The new court would meet the size and especially the run off requirements for England Netball 'Club' facilities classification, enabling us to play South West regional matches at our home facilities in Paignton. 

We are unable to pay for this work through our normal income streams and have so far been unable to secure outside funding. However, we are delighted to announce a potential financial pledge from Sport England, to help us towards our crowdfunding target, as part of their Active Together programme and England Netball have provided rewards. 

Thank-you

How we’ll spend the money raised

Netball Court Markings £1260

Provide sockets for sunken posts £500

Sunken posts £350

Post Protector £350

Fees estimated £40

Community impact

We would love to be able to upgrade the facilities in Torbay to meet regional competition standards, so there is availability for all local clubs. Currently we can play regional competition in one other Paignton venue but availability is a problem, other suitable venues involve a round trip of at least 40 miles. There are over 1000 senior players competing in the Torbay area and a similar number of junior players. 

We'd expect to see 

• An increase in the number of local players competing at a higher level in netball.
• Improved opportunities for the coaches and umpires to operate in a performance environment.
• Families of players benefit with space for spectating and reduced travel time and costs.
• Everyone will learn to put on rather than just participate in a tournament.

How you can play your part

There are three 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!