Target reached!
If we reach our stretch target it will allow us to: - improve the access arrangement...
Storeys of Lancaster FC - COVID Return to play
Lancaster, England, United Kingdom
Aim
To provide financial support through the COVID pandemic and ensure the club is ready to welcome players back when football returns.
Storeys FC vs COVID-19
The history...
Storeys Football Club is one of the oldest amateur sports clubs in the area of Lancaster. Originating as a works team from the world famous Storey Bros of Lancaster, our playing history can be traced back as far as 1887. Over the past number of decades, our senior teams have competed in the local amateur football league and have recently progressed into the West Lancashire League.
In addition to the senior side, we have a number of youth teams registered with the Lancaster and Morecambe Service to Youth League with over 100 registered players, boys and girls aged from 5 -16 years old.
We are continually looking to progress and to give children in the local community the opportunity to receive fun and quality coaching at an affordable price. With this goal, we have recently expanded our youth section to include a mini kickers with boys and girls as young as 3 years old attending our coaching sessions!
The clubhouse...
In recent years we have worked hard to make significant improvements to our clubhouse. Through fundraising and local grants we were able to turn our facility into a space that our players, parents and coaches can be proud of. Our small committee are regularly seen at the clubhouse completing maintenance and making improvements. With your help we can continue to enhance the facilities and make sure we can comply with the requirements for safe play in the pandemic.
The pitches...
In addition to the clubhouse improvements, we have had to upgrade the playing surfaces. Some of this was due to movement that had made the surfaces difficult to play on. We also had to install pitch protection around the senior pitch as a requirement to progress into the West Lancashire League. The pitch barriers have also helped to keep playing surfaces free from dog mess, which for years had been a real health hazard for the players. Again, we would like to make further improvements to the playing surface and also protect the children's pitches to give them a safe environment to play in (free from dog mess!).
The plan...
The pandemic has hit our club hard like many other amateur sports clubs. From frustrated managers and players unable to do what they love most, not to mention the parents struggling to keep their kids occupied without football. The club has also suffered financially with cancelled fundraisers that for years have provided a reliable income stream. Fundraising over the past few years has provided 50% of our income, and our regular events such as quiz and race nights, as well as end of season presentations have all been postponed in the last 12 months. We have to get creative and think of new ways to raise funds for the long term sustainability of the club.
We hope to use this crowdfunder to help bridge the gap, and if possible make further improvements to the facility to ensure we're ready when football returns. Our target is to raise £15,000, with the possibility of a contribution coming from Sport England through match funding via their Return to Play: Active Together funding scheme.
The commitment...
Our commitment to our supporters and our members is that every penny will be spent wisely. We hope that our story shows how ambitious we are as a club, and also how committed we are to providing a quality experience for all our players. To give you an idea of where we would like to spend the money, a short summary is detailed below.
- Protection of the playing surfaces to provide a safe match day experience. This includes additional barriers and signage around the youth pitches to prevent dog fouling which has been a huge big issue over the years.
- Essential maintenance and improvements to the playing surfaces which have been delayed during the pandemic lock down. This includes top dressing and reseeding the pitch.
- Adapting the changing rooms and external areas in support of COVID mitigation.
- Facility and equipment upgrades to ensure we’re ready to go when football returns. This includes improved signage around the clubhouse. A
Finally, a HUGE thank you to anyone who supports us... no matter how big or small the contribution, your donations are gratefully received.
Sport England: Active Together has provided £6,000 of match funding
This project successfully funded on 18th March 2021