Earlsdon Highway Netball Club New Courts

Aim

We need a final push on funding to enable us to build 2 new floodlit Netball courts at Earlsdon Rugby Club after being made homeless in 2017

Who are we?

Run entirely by our committee of volunteers, we are one of the biggest netball clubs in the area, playing in the Coventry and Warwickshire league. We have 5 senior teams, 7 junior teams and a 'Return to Netball' section, with well over 100 members in total. Our A team won the premier division in the 22/23 season, unbeaten, and 2 of our other senior teams also secured promotion. Here we are with all our silverware from this season! 

Why are we crowdfunding?

The club used to play at the Highway Club, just off the A45 in Coventry. In 2017, our running costs became prohibitive and we were forced to leave. We have been homeless as a club since then and have spent considerable funds hiring courts from other clubs, leisure centres and local schools. 

In 2018, we secured a partnership with Earlsdon Rugby Club and became Earlsdon Highway Netball Club. The rugby club have given us some land to build courts and in 2021, planning permission was granted for 2 new floodlit courts. This planning permission expires in July 2024. 

The club has been working hard to raise the total required of £230,000. We have secured a fantastic amount through our own fundraising events and grants, but the funds for these will not be released until we have full funding in place and they are time sensitive. 

This is where we need your help - we need to raise a final £45,000 to get us over the line and finally get ourselves a new home. Up to £10,000 of what we raise through this crowdfunder will hopefully be matched by Sport England, meaning we need pledges of at least £35,000. 

How we’ll spend the money raised

We will have 2 floodlit netball courts built at Earlsdon Rugby Club in Coventry. These can be seen on the plan below, next to the pavillion:

Community impact

With over 100 members ranging from 12 to 65, we engage a huge cross section of the local community in team sports, with benefits to both physical and mental health.

• Our Juniors: Being a teenager today isn't easy. We think team sports give young people a focus away from pressured school and social environments and most importantly, their phones! Team sports teach young people about winning and losing graciously, working hard to better yourself, working together for success, discipline and confidence. We want to run the best club for our talented junior players, to ensure they have access to the best facilities so that they continue to engage in this sport throughout their young adult lives. They are the future of netball in England and it's critical we nurture their passion for the sport. Many of our junior members have completed both umpiring and coaching qualifications in recent years, ensuring the long term viability of our sport in the local area.

• Return to Netball: This section of our club gives people a safe and non-pressured environment to get back in to the sport that they have not played since school, have not played since becoming a parent. We create a relaxed environment, coached by our wonderful senior player/coaches to slowly and patiently give them the skills to grow their confidence in the game. Many of our R2N players play in a mid-week league.

• Community Hire: Once our courts are built, we will be able to rent them at a low cost to the local community, other netball clubs and for other netball England Netball initiatives, such as walking netball. The rugby club will also use the courts for walking rugby. With a greater variety of sports facilities on offer, we are able to increase the appeal and success of Earlsdon Rugby Club as a community facility. 

How our project will be United by Birmingham 2022?

The programme is about about creating local legacy and to celebrate the Commonwealth Games. We want to continue to build on the momentum from the games and provide greater community access to netball facilities and activities. Since England won the gold medal in Netball in 2018, interest and awareness in our sport has never been higher. 

• Bringing People Together: The very existence of this crowdfunder, through the use of rewards, enables us to connect and integrate to the local community. We have rewards for court hire and community netball coaching sessions, enabling us to share the sport we love with our local community and crowdfunder supporters. By having a home location for a club, together with our partners at Earsldon Rugby Club, we can create a real sense of community through physical proximity of our players, members and supporters. 
• Improving Health and Wellbeing: This is what we're all about - getting people active and engaged in a sport, no matter your ability. We are a club that caters for everyone regardless of their skill or experience in netball - there's something for everyone.
• Helping the Region Grow and Succeed: Our rewards also offer advertising space and sponsorship opportunities for local businesses so that they can reap the benefits of getting their name in front of the hundreds of people visiting our courts each week. The rugby club employs people to run the clubhouse bar - somewhere we'd love to spend more time after our home games celebrating our wins - in turn, contributing to the success of the wider club and the employment opportunities that brings. 

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!

This project successfully funded on 19th September 2023