Who we are:
Dewsbury Moor ARLFC is an amateur rugby league football club formed in 1968 in what used to be an old ice cream factory back then! Since 1968 we have undergone several renovations to make the club what it is today, most recently in 2020 which is still ongoing. We are home to over 300 players, boys and girls, ranging from 4 year old in our youngest age group the Rugger Tots, all the way through to our Open Age, who are currently competing in the National Conference Division 2 league. We are also home to around 500 club members.
Our club, over the last year, has more or less undergone a total refurbishment and extension to meet the demands of the community. We currently hold around 250 people comfortably in which we have the capacity to host large events in the club such as birthdays, funerals, live entertainment and more. We have worked so hard in providing a nice, warm, welcoming place to hold these events. This is of course in normal times before COVID came around at the beginning of last year. As well as the new club we have a large car park on site to assist, as well as 3 full size playing fields and 1 floodlit training field.
As I'm sure you can agree our club provides a much needed hub for the local community in and around Dewsbury Moor, with accessibility for all ages, genders and abilities.
What we do:
Not only do we provide the facilities and a place for rugby league we also host other sports from in and around the local community. Our playing fields provide much a needed factor for other sports and teams who may be struggling for the facilities of their own. These sports include a local football team who regularly use our fields for their games. An archery team also use our fields for their practices, as well as a women's rounders team who regularly use our facilities to enhance their game also.
We also host an annual charity music event every summer on our playing fields which has become hugely popular in the local community. Hundreds attend to show their support in fundraising as well as having a day to remember.
The possibilities are endless.
What we have already achieved:
Everyone at the club is so proud of what we have already achieved in what has been a really challenging year for all. We have doubled the club in size and started from scratch all in the best interests of our members. When we started the club hadn't been refurbished in over 15 years. The facilities we're beginning to become worn out and out-dated. We had to change this and give our members and the local community something to be proud of. Below is a few before and afters and where we are at now, to show what we have achieved over the last year, although there is still more to be done!
Before & During:
After:
What we want to achieve:
For as long as we can remember the income from the bar has supported the cost of the rugby. Without this income we are going to struggle. As a club we made the decision not to charge subs (signing on fees) for the forthcoming 2021 season. Those that paid last year don't have to pay this year. We believe to charge subs would be wrong given that most age groups only played 2-3 games and their rugby experience badly impacted. However, this means that next year the club will be without circa £28,000.
On top of this we currently have no bar takings due to being closed because of COVID-19. Even when we we're able to trade the restrictions hit us badly with staffing costs going up and income going down. We we're only open 5 months of last year having spent most of the year in lockdown's or Tier 3. We have fixed costs whether we're open or not and these still need to be paid.
When we re-open and we can start playing rugby again we want to hit the ground running, providing the best facility to our members as they deserve.
We are extremely proud of our club and what we have achieved. We do not want it all to go to waste because of COVID-19.
With the extra money we will:
- Make sure we survive this crisis. Our players and members have suffered due to the closure of our club. Rugby league was put on hold and we we're forced to close the club. This plays a huge part in the mental health and well beings, we are encouraging our players to attend the new initiative held by Rugby League Cares to help combat this.
- Keep the club going to ensure that when we can open and we are able to play rugby again, we have everything in place.
- Pay the bills we're struggling to pay whilst we are closed (we still have fixed costs that need paying). This is a huge pressure on us as an organisation, to enable we are there for our players and members to return.
- Decorate and fit out the new changing rooms. As well as the club refurbishment, we also refurbished the entire changing rooms and shower areas for the players. These are yet to be finished due to limited funds, again not helped by the pandemic.
- General field maintenance, we have 3 pitches and a training field to maintain. This is all to ensure our fields are kept up to the playing standards they should be, which again involves a cost.
- Buy new equipment, balls, tackle bags, post protectors etc. We need at least double the amount of equipment due to COVID-19 requirements.
Thank you for taking to the time to read our story. Please support us if you can.
Our Club is not about the strength of individuals, it is the strength of us all and how we work together as One Club, One Team, One Family.