Shapwick and Polden C.C. Covid Recovery Fund

Aim

Your support will secure the financial position of a friendly community club, and help us invest in future improvements

Who We Are and What We Do

The Shapwick and Polden Cricket Club is now the only cricket club in the Polden Hills and provides the opportunity for adults and children to participate in sport in a welcoming and safe environment.

The Polden village cluster is set in a rural part of Somerset with a shortage of community access sports facilities as identified in the current Sedgemoor District Council Recreational Facilities Strategy. 

The club fields three Saturday Men's XIs with the 1st XI competing in the West of England Premier League (WEPL) and the 2nd XI in the Premier Division of the Somerset Cricket League. We also run a Sunday XI and have had an encouraging response to our aspirations to form a women’s team in 2021. Shapwick and Polden has also committed to be a Somerset Cricket Disability Silver Champion and will work with the Somerset Cricket Board to increase our association.

In pre-pandemic 2019, there were around 90 junior members attending training sessions under the supervision of ECB qualified coaches. We had teams for both boys and girls up to the age of 15 while the ECB "All Stars" programme provided a first experience of cricket for younger children aged between 5 and 8.

Shapwick and Polden was formed in 2014 following a merger between the Ashcott & Shapwick and Chilton Polden clubs, both of which had been in existence since the second half of the nineteenth century. In fact, had it not been for the continuing uncertainty regarding Covid, we planned this summer to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the inaugural meeting of the Chilton Polden club held on June 7th, 1871.

The Club has Clubmark Status, the accreditation by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirming it to be a well-run and safe environment for both seniors and juniors. It is run by a volunteer management committee with all cricket activities, social events and much of the maintenance organised and undertaken by volunteers.

Why We Need  Your Support

The disruption caused by a delayed start to the 2020 season together with the restrictions that were in place inevitably impacted our finances, resulting in significantly reduced levels of income being received from our three main revenue streams:-

• Playing fewer fixtures with a smaller number of players meant that income from membership subscriptions and match fees fell to about 50% of the budgeted figure.
• Uncertainty about the cricket programme and the business environment caused contributions from sponsorship and other donations to total only around a third of the that received in 2019. 
• Social distancing requirements and restrictions regarding hospitality venues made it impossible to run most of our usual fund-raising events.

Unfortunately, this major loss of income was not matched by an equivalent reduction in outgoings. Spending on ground maintenance and equipment, our biggest item of expenditure, was in fact higher than in 2019 as we needed to replace broken sightscreen panels and to purchase a roller which had previously been on loan to us. 

Although a full season of cricket in 2021 now seems a distinct possibility, we still face the risk of less than normal levels of income and of higher costs in staging matches. In particular, likely continuing restrictions on using indoor space and changing rooms, at least in the early part of the summer, mean that we will have to invest in additional outside facilities for players and supporters.  

What will we spend the money on?

We have a desperate need to replace or upgrade the equipment required to providing a pitch of suitable standard for Premier League cricket including covers and mowers for preparing the wicket.

We also need to address the problem of balls escaping on the southern boundary, to not only reduce expenditure on lost balls but also to reduce the disruption to games which is far from ideal for the level of cricket played. We will do this by erecting a low fence as a barrier. 

With Covid restrictions, at least in the first part of the 2021 season, likely to forbid the use of changing rooms and restrict the social use of the pavilion, we intend to purchase gazebos to provide shelter and secure space for players and outside furniture for the benefit of both players and spectators.

In addition to purchasing these items, we need to generate sufficient revenue to cover our normal playing costs (ground maintenance, match balls, umpires’ fees, coaching fees for juniors etc.) and to invest in new aids and equipment to ensure we deliver the best training to all our sections

Contribution to the Community

We at SPCC feel we are the green lungs of our community the Polden Hills with the main aim of the Club being inclusivity and participation, ensuring that all the community in the area have the opportunity to play cricket. 

How will we achieve this?

In recent times, we have increased participation by offered a girls’ only section which now has more than 20 girls, a number that is increasing each year. In 2021, we plan to build on the growth of interest in women’s cricket by launching a women’s section which we are now actively promoting. Also this summer, we will be working with the Somerset Cricket Board to become a Somerset Cricket Disability Silver Champion club.

Our ground at Shapwick has been home to the Ashcott Ladies Rounders team for several years. Due to Covid19, they were unable to play in 2020 but plan to resume in the coming season and our goal is that our facilities are used seven days a week by a huge cross section of the community every season. The sustainability of our great club is built on user experience and participation, so to do this we need the best facilities we can offer.

Prior to the pandemic we held social events which were open to all and included Race Nights, Quiz Nights, Bingo Nights and the popular Music on the Pitch event to mark the end of the season in September. These events not only raised funds but offered social engagement with the wider community.

This project successfully funded on 18th April 2021