Golden Hill CC is a thriving club in Henleaze Bristol with over 300 boys and girls as well as 100 over adult men's and women's members. As a result the training facilities required to host this many people are always under scrutiny.
Why do we require funding?
Our practice facilities (outdoor nets) are not fit for purpose and can be dangerous to use at times. The original nets were laid 10 years ago with money raised by the club and an ECB Grant but are no longer suitable. We are looking to dig up the existing foundations and carpet and produce a far more suitable surface for all our junior cricketers and to lengthen the bowlers run ups at the same time. We have taken advice and will be able to use the existing cage & netting as the club replaced these three years ago thanks to a generous sponsor.
We are hoping to instruct and complete the work in March/April of 2022 to ensure that the facilities are available for the start of the new season.
We have obtained three quotes from suppliers who are experts in this field.
What is the club need?
The club has grown significantly over the last few years with a huge expansion of boys & girls’ cricket, with many of the juniors now moving into adult cricket as well. The current nets are dangerous (the bounce is unpredictable and mainly too high) and with most junior boy & girl cricketers now using a hard ball the practice facilities have become a serious safety concern. With the relatively new addition of the ECB disability program the club feels that we have no option but to undertake the work and provide suitable and safe practice facilities for all.
What impact will this make?
The main beneficiaries will be the junior boys & girls cricketers who will have much needed new practice facilities. The project will allow the boys and girls to practice in a safe environment under the supervision of all the youth team coaches (who are all volunteers). The net facilities will be able to be used during the days in the easter and summer holidays and by all youth teams before evening matches. The ground is used 7 days a week in the summer with boys and girls’ teams from each age group having a practice evening or matches on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays and matches on Sundays. The refurbished practice facilities will enable the boys & girls to enhance their cricketing skills whilst making friends in a team environment & actively participating in sport.
Impact of Covid
As with everyone covid had a major impact on our club. Due to the fantastic work of our volunteer base we managed to start back coaching our youth teams with a ratio of 5 children to 1 coach to stay in the bubbles of 6 on the first day this was allowed. The mental health impact of this on our youth could not be understated as a result of this and the parents were so appreciative of all that we did. Finances as a result were down for the whole of the cricket season in 2020 due to a reduced season and impact on the bar.