Rugby is for everyone. Help our inclusive community club to provide substantial facilities improvements for women & girls.
by chrisgaffey in Manchester, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
If we achieve our initial target of £25,000 we'd love to reach for our stretch target of £45,000 which will allow us to undertake and complete the second phase of our social space refurbishment, including the purchase of new furniture.
Eccles Rugby Football Club is a progressive, inclusive, community club that provides rugby for all, to a region of Greater Manchester suffering social and economic deprivation. Our club is run by volunteers for the benefit of our community, not for profit.
Eccles RFC played its first rugby in 1878, the club reformed in 1897 and we have sustained our existence for 127 years, moving to our home at Gorton Street, Eccles in 1948. We are recognised as the leading provider of sport in our area and with an emphasis on participation the club has over 500 active members and fields 22 teams for Men, Women, Boys and Girls, from U5s to Vets.
We take great pride in our cultivation of homegrown talent and we run a wide programme of activities including Touch Rugby and Walking Rugby. You can find out more about Eccles Rugby on our website https://eccles.rfu.club
Since returning from the enforced break during the Covid pandemic Eccles RFC has seen a 40% growth in membership. Not only do we now have four successful mens teams and a full compliment of boys and youth teams, we have also expanded to two women's teams and two girls teams.
Increasing and supporting female activity and participation is a key focus for the club, in particular preparing for the expected growth generated by the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, where Salford will be a host city.
Rugby club facilities across the Country were historically constructed to support male demand; but as the game evolves and the number of females participating and spectating increases, clubs need to adapt. Our existing facilities have served us very well for over 30 years but Rugby has changed and we need to develop our facilities to meet the standards expected and required.
We are reaching out for your support to help us move forward with essential facilities improvements - specifically new changing rooms, new ladies toilets and a refurbished social space - that will help us to continue to provide our community and visitors with the best possible experience and environment, to help sustain long-term participation in sport.
Our proposed facilities projects have secured funding support from the RFU and the club will utilise its savings to match this funding but we have a shortfall in meeting the total project cost of £150,000.
To facilitate the work this summer and ensure we are operational for the new season in August 2024, we need your help to raise £25,000 in 4 weeks.
1. Two new changing rooms.
The principal aim of our summer project is to convert four old, small changing rooms and a communal shower area in to two larger changing rooms incorporating new showers, new toilets, improved lighting and new changing room door security.
These new changing facilities will be used by all players but will be designed and built with the Women and Girls wellbeing in mind.
On a typical Sunday we are often now hosting in excess of 300 players, which stretches our current changing facilities to beyond their limits. With increasing numbers of women and girls playing rugby, the need for better quality spaces and privacy is brought to the fore. The new shower areas will have cubicles to help eliminate the stigma of social showering and help our club deliver on our inclusive ethos of "rugby for all”.
These images give an impression of the existing environment and the proposed final result.
2. New ladies toilets and a repaired roof.
Our Ladies toilets and our social space below have suffered water damage originating from a leak in the flat roof directly above. The adverse weather experienced this winter has taken this situation beyond repair and following assessment the roof needs to be replaced. This is a significant and unexpected set back and we need your help to meet the costs.
As a result of the roof leak our Ladies Toilets require a complete refit. We plan to install new wall tiling, flooring, sanitary ware, basins, taps, vanity unit, mirrors, hand dryer, lighting and heating to create a much brighter, fresher environment.
These images give an impression of the existing environment and the proposed final result.
3. Refurbished Social Space.
With the Salford Community Stadium hosting games in the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup, less than 1 mile from the club, there is a huge opportunity for Eccles to capitalise on the increased publicity of the women's game and further build on the success of our girls and ladies sections.
Following consultation with our female players and members, a survey identified the clubhouse social space as an area for improvement. It’s currently a practical, utilitarian environment. We intend to make it a smarter, more comfortable space so women and girls also feel it's a place they could enjoy spending time in (alongside the men and boys). Our design will embrace the character and history of our 126 year old Rugby club by combining heritage and contemporary styling to create a welcoming atmosphere for everyone.
We have plans for a 2-phase programme of work with new flooring, new ceiling plastering, timber panelling, lighting and decoration being completed this summer.
These images give an impression of the existing environment and the potential final result.
Our club facilities are utilised by several local schools and sports organisations in our community including Junior football and Aussie Rules. We also host regional rugby cup finals, county rugby fixtures and the annual Eccles Festival as well as making our facilities available for family gatherings so our proposed improvements will benefit a wide range of activities and people in our community, far beyond our membership.
There are three 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 and we'll give you a shout out.
We had a very successful Covid Recovery Crowdfunder in April 2021 and the resulting patio, footpath, floodlights and security improvements have made a significant contribution to the experience at the club . We are hoping that with the help of our community we can achieve our ‘all or nothing’ target again this year.
We appreciate the financial difficulties many of us are facing right now. We value every single donation and pledge. Please give as generously as you can to help us make a difference to our community and provide Rugby for All!
This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.