Target reached!
We will look to add additional drainage to the base of the banking that surrounds tw...
Install new drainage to our main grass pitch
Keighley, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Aim
We need your help to raise funds to install new drainage into the second team pitch, to help and sustain rugby at Keighley RUFC
Drainage At Keighley Rugby Union Football Club
Who are we?
Since 1920, Keighley RUFC has been at the heart of the community in Keighley and the surrounding area. We have seen many players, supporters, friends and family through the club, and many current players are second or even 3rd generation; many of them have played here since they were minis & juniors.
A place where competition and friendship go hand in hand. We have three senior teams and a fantastic Sunday morning mini and junior setup: getting kids playing and training from 6-18 years old.
KRUFC in the Community
The club acts as a ‘hub’ for the local community. Geographically we are close to and have links with many educational institutions (primary, secondary, FE). These institutions use our facilities for free. Apart from rugby, we typically facilitate regular charity events and fun activity days free to all comers. We have a volunteer who meets up every Wednesday morning to maintain the club, have a brew and chat.
Why are we crowdfunding?
Due to the increase in rainfall over the last few years, our pitches have become increasingly waterlogged for longer periods of time. This has resulted in standing water on the pitches for long periods of time, which means we can’t do any work on the pitches to help with the problem as equipment sinks into the mud.
This has affected both senior and age-grade rugby.
Senior rugby—although we have the AGP, we need the grass pitch for training to match the conditions we will play in at away games. This also impacts home games when we have two games at home. This year's pitch condition has resulted in many games being cancelled and the inability to use the grass pitch for training.
Age-grade rugby—As we grow the age-grade section, it’s vital to have a functioning and playable grass pitches. We currently can’t play more than one game at a time from under 13’s up, our training mid-week is limited as we can only train on the AGP which means no team can have more than a quarter of a pitch to train, which is restricting what we can do.
BUT we are determined to fix this issue and bring our pitches back to life.
How we’ll spend the money raised
We have consulted with experts, and the solution is clear: installing proper drainage. This will not only extend the usability of the pitch but also prevent long-term damage, ensuring that future generations can enjoy it..
We're aiming to raise £20,000 to cover the costs of the drainage installation. This includes Subcontractors, materials, labour, and any unforeseen expenses. No matter how small, every contribution brings us one step closer to achieving our goal.
Community Impact
We are unable to host our school rugby festivals, as they require more than one pitch.
We are in the process of growing a Girl's junior section and arranging school days to help grow it. This is difficult with only one pitch.
How you can play your part
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!
Previous Crowdfunding
Back in 2021, we raised £15,815 for our Keighley RUFC Covid-19 Fightback Fund. This money helped secure our future through an extremely difficult time for the club, and we are very grateful to everyone who donated. We hope you can help us again raise funds for this new initiative.
As part of that original fundraising campaign, with support from Sport England, we secured matched funding through their "Return to Play: Active Together" initiative. They pledged a £5,000.00 contribution to our previous fund.
Sport England: Active Together has provided £10,000 of match funding
This project successfully funded on 9th May 2024