Upgrading the practice facilities to allow us to grow and develop as a club.
by GVCC in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Cricket in Gotham goes back to the early 1900's when a cricket square was cut into the long grass on the Recreation Ground (known as The Rec).
During World War 2 some games were played in Gotham between teams who could get a side together. However, the field was ploughed up shortly after the end of the war and Gotham Cricket Club ceased.
Around 1947 local residents started to play cricket again, but this time away from Gotham due to the square no longer being available. After 10 years the club folded for a second time.
Finally, in 1959 Gotham once again managed to produce a square on the original cricket pitch and since then, cricket has always been played on the Rec.
We are a thriving cricket club who are proud to call Gotham our home. With 2 senior teams, 4 junior teams and running All Stars and Dynamos sessions our commitment to providing cricket for all is never ending. However, our current practice facilities are in disrepair and are not up to the standard required.
We’re looking for fans of all sports and people who can identify with what we are trying to achieve in our outcomes to help us reach our target of £15,000 which will go a long way to help complete our project. We aim to build a state of the art practice facility by working alongside ECB approved contractors.
The current nets are:
Outdated - we've had to make do and mend over the years and it has come to a point where this is no longer possible.
Dangerous – There are tears in the nets where cricket balls can get hit through, the matting is ripped and some of the net supports are loose.
Unsightly - Due to the damage and age they do not fit in with the beautiful surroundings at Gotham Village Cricket Club.
And do not provide a good practice facility - They are not fit for purpose and anyone using them will get very little benefit in terms of improving their cricketing abilities.
One of the key objectives of Gotham Village cricket Club is to bring people together, promote cricket to all and improve fitness. We want to use cricket and our club as a vehicle to provide an enjoyable experience for everyone whether player or spectator.
New practice facilities will make us a more attractive prospect for new players and allow us to deliver a higher standard of training sessions. With new practice facilities we will be able to grow the junior section and start to develop women and girls teams. We also realise how vital it is to provide the opportunity for people to exercise. Ever since the Covid pandemic people are even more aware of the need to improve their health and wellbeing and sport is an ideal way to go about this.
Improvement of people’s fitness and mental health:
Playing cricket is a great way to get fit which is also linked to improving people’s mental health. New net practice facilities will enable us to keep promoting fitness and well being by allowing us to provide an improved training area.
Social inclusion and helping local businesses:
One of our goals as stated before, is to help bring people together in a friendly social environment. By improving the standard of cricket, aided by having upgraded net facilities, we will be able to play at a higher level and become more attractive to spectators. The more people we can get to come down to watch cricket, the better the atmosphere which in turns helps people feel less isolated. Also, the more people coming to the cricket club the more potential customers there will be for the local businesses, which will improve their trade.
We also host touring teams including during our popular festival week. The better the facilities the better chance we have of being attractive to touring teams which will again mean we can host more cricket matches.
Junior Cricket:
The future of any sports club is linked to the junior set up and this is an area we have been growing over a number of years. We have had juniors represent County Teams at junior levels which has been fantastic for the club. We can grow the further section further by having new practice facilities. This is not only beneficial for the club and junior players, but also their families who come down to the club as well which means more spectators.
If we do not upgrade the nets, we will most likely have to stop using them. This will mean the standard of cricket played dropping and less members wanting to join which will reduce the amount of spectators. Less spectators will equal less revenue for the club and possibly less revenue for local businesses. It could also mean the club has to reduce the amount of teams we have and to cease junior practice and /or decrease the amount of junior teams.
Our nets are available for none cricket club members and they can be used by anyone even when the club hasn't got a training session on. Obviously they won't be able to use the nets unless they're upgraded.
We've got so close to our target and one more push we should be able to get there. We've managed to get an extension to the end date of the campaign which should help significantly. We're only a around £1500 short at time or writing and when we reach the target we will get the Extra+ funding mentioned below. Please help where you can!
Great news - Extra+ funding have pledged £4,500 towards our target.
To get this, the first thing we now need to do is have a minimum of 75 unique donors. So far we've got around 35, so we need another 40 new donors - no matter how small the donation (even if it's just £1) it will count towards the 75 donors we need. The final stage, of course, is to get to the magical £15,000 we're looking for.
So please help if you can!
There are four 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!
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser – maybe a sponsored activity or similar – use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!
Whatever you do, it will go a long way in supporting our aim to deliver new net practice facilities which in turn has a positive impact on the local community and wider area. Big or small, every bit of help is greatly appreciated!
Contact for further info:
This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.