Who are we?

Temple Cloud Cricket Club (TCCC) was founded in 1919 and is a volunteer led, not for profit community cricket club. We facilitated over 2,500 cricket interactions in 2024 ranging from our first XI coming fourth in the Western Premier League to fielding our first ever girls team. However this is all at risk after being issued with a lease break notice by our Landlord.

We provide subsidised youth cricket coaching for children from over ten nearby villages, welcoming between 50 and 75 children each week to our Friday night sessions. We run an under 11s and under 13s and put forward a number of children to representative county trials. In 2024 we obtained the “ClubMark” accreditation, the gold standard issued by the England Cricket Board (ECB) assessing safeguarding, governance and other aspects of running a club.

It’s about more than cricket…we provide a social environment for people of all ages, abilities, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, social background. We help build communities whether it’s a place for parents to meet, children to build relationships or adults to create friendships addressing the serious issues of loneliness and mental health issues, particularly amongst men.

Why are we crowdfunding?

In August 2024, TCCC was issued with a lease break notice requiring the club to leave its home of 70+ years by March 2025. Following an extensive search process we have reached an agreement with Farmborough Parish Council to make the Farmborough Recreation Ground our long term home.

To deliver this exciting new chapter there is a lot to do. There are three separate projects:

1. changing rooms, showers and toilets (this Crowdfunder Project)

2. creating a welcoming environment within the Pavilion including kitchen, bar and outdoor seating area

3. bringing the playing and practice facilities to the required standard 

How we’ll spend the money raised

This Project is focussed on creating inclusive changing rooms, showers and toilets including accessible facilities. This is the most significant (and costly) element of our move to Farmborough.  Without it our ability to continue to deliver routes to physical activity will cease, but with it we will grow our offering to even greater levels!

A lot of work is required to create secure and inclusive changing rooms for two teams, umpire changing rooms (male and female) and showers that meet current standards (i.e. cubicles rather than communal), toilets (including accessible) and new windows and doors throughout.

Our Project plan puts the estimates costs of this at £47,000 (with £12,000 funded from other sources) hence our £35,000 Crowdfunder target!

Community impact

This Project is about two objectives 1) continuing and growing our cricket interactions within our community across ages, gender, abilities, ethnicity and background by Saving Temple Cloud Cricket Club and 2) creating a cherished community asset for the Farmborough community, anchored by cricket but creating wider opportunities for physical activity and social inclusion.

1. Growing cricket interactions

2024 was arguably our best year yet. We have calculated we facilitated 2,500 cricket interactions across senior cricket, youth coaching, youth matches and social attendees however this is all at risk without our move to Farmborough. However our aims aren't just about protecting these interactions but growing them! Here's how we intend to grow activity as part of the move:

• Having fielded our first all girls team in 2024 and 3 of our girls being selected for the Somerset Pathway, we will host our first ever girls home game in 2025 and have more specific girls coaching.
• We will launch Dynamos and All Stars at Farmborough, offering more cricket opportunities for all genders from 5 to 9 years old.
• We will field both an under 11 and under 13 team and deliver specific coaching for both age groups.
• We will launch a Walking Cricket tester at our new home, looking to provide opportunities for our new community to get active. 
• We will hold our first ever women's training and match. Starting off at our new home by providing more women and girls cricket opportunities.

2. Cherished social community asset

We are loving getting to know the Farmborough community and we are excited to deliver an asset which will hopefully become a central part of village life. Whether it is the new bar or accessible facilities or the opportunity to meet new and old friends at our community events, the Project offers much more than just cricket. Once the Pavilion is up and running it will provide the community with somewhere to undertake other activities and groups, should they wish.

In the longer term, we would love to help bring external fitness equipment to the community and reimagine the current Multi-Use Games Area in partnership with the Parish Council.

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! Whatever you can manage is gratefully received by the TCCC family.

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages, word of mouth, whatsapp - whatever way you like, just help us get the word out to Save Temple Cloud Cricket Club.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. A unique experience? A nice dinner? A great product or service? These can really help us up the pledges and donations.

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!