New Cricket Net Facility - Downham Stow CC

Who are we?

Downham Stow CC was formed in 2020 after the merger of long standing cricket clubs Downham Town CC and Stow CC. The club is situated in rural West Norfolk and have two beautiful grounds located at Stow Hall in Stow Bardolph and the Memorial Ground in Downham Market.  

The club has an ever growing membership base, currently with over 200 members, a combination of men, women and juniors from a range of backgrounds and experience. 

The club runs 4 seniors sides on a Saturday, a senior side on a Sunday along with junior teams for boys and girls in the U9, U11, U13, U15, U17 and U19 age groups. The club has also recently created a Women's and Girls section which is the fasting growing section of the club. DSCC has also achieved Club Mark accreditation

Why are we crowdfunding?

With our ever expanding player base, the club would like to update our practice facilities to enable state of the art cricket nets at our ground at Stow Hall. This will enable the senior teams and junior coaches to utilise these facilities to further develop their skills and abilities. It will also help the club to attract new players, continue to grow and provide opportunities for adults and children in the local community to be physically active, make friends and join our family friendly club. 

Engaging 16 to 24-year-olds in cricket can be a fantastic way to nurture young talent and keep them interested in sports. This age group is at a critical stage of development where they are honing their skills, understanding teamwork, and developing a passion that could last a lifetime.

The goal is not just to develop cricketing skills but also to instill values like discipline, teamwork, and resilience among the participants. 

Lewis Denmark, Cricket Develop Director is fully supportive of the proposed facility development at Downham Stow 

"Having come together as a new club in 2020, Downham Stow are one of the biggest clubs within Norfolk with a high membership and provide cricket opportunities for all ages, abilities and genders. The club run successful mixed Saturday/Sunday teams, Women's hardball and softball teams, junior girls and boys teams along with a midweek Over 40's social team.

With so many people playing cricket at the club every year, it is important that the club has appropriate facilities both on and off the field of play. Given the increase in membership since the club formed in 2020, a key area identified for development are the artificial net facilities at their Stow ground. The existing 2-lane facility is longer fit for purpose and a new facility is required to support the continued growth of the club across all areas. The Norfolk Cricket Board are fully supportive of the new 4-lane net facility at Downham Stow Cricket Club and look forward to seeing the new facility in action once installed"

How we’ll spend the money raised

• The money raised from our Crowdfunder project will go towards the purchase and installation of a fantastic top of the range 4 lane net facility.
• Alongside the 4 nets there will also be an extended practice area for further development of skills when the weather means we cannot train on the grass
• We have already achieved planning permission for this project and we are hoping to generate funds via various grants that are available to us. 
• If everything goes to plan the aim is to begin work on the project early this summer
• We plan on making the new nets accessible to local schools and even local clubs if their practice facilities are not up to standard

Community impact

As a club we are central to the local community. We provide a fantastic opportunity for those in the local community to become involved in sport whatever their age. We provide opportunities for young people to be physically active and develop lifelong physical activity habits which play an important role in their physical health. We also provide a social hub where members of the community can develop friendships and meet new people through either developing team mates playing or through meeting new people at a range of social evenings the club runs throughout the year.

Our facilities are also used by local schools in the area, hosting primary school cricket tournaments which are officiated and organised by our Young Cricket leaders from the club. Our facilities are also used by local schools during the summer months to play games and practice meaning we have an impact in the wider community. 

Throughout the year the club runs regular social events which are open to members of the local community including friends and family of club members. These events include a regular beer festival along with 6 a side cricket festivals with teams from all around the county attending. Regular social events include food themed evenings along with gin nights and quiz nights - all with the aim of providing social events for members of the local community to attend and be a part of our amazing club.

The club also hosts charity cricket matches for a local mental health charity called the 8:56 foundation which raises awareness for the importance of mental health. The club has also made links with local charity the Swan Youth Project who do workshops and seminars with our junior cricketers to help support them and their families to give them opportunities to enhance their lives within the local community.

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! Donations of £100 or over will earn a place on our new Downham Stow CC Club Honours Board as a thank you for your contribution to our project and the future of our club.

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!