Football club aiming for £180k funding boost
A football club is planning to build new state-of-the-art facilities to try to attract the next generation of young players.
West Hagley Football Club has launched a bid for funding which would allow it to build new changing rooms.
Planning permission has already been granted for the new facility and it is hoped work could start within months.
But the club is reliant on around £180,000 in funding which it hopes can be delivered by the Football Foundation and other organisations.
The old building would be demolished and the new facility, which would include two changing rooms, disabled toilets, showers, a cafe and kitchen area, storage room, referee's room and a club area, would go up in its place.
West Hagley runs football clubs for various age groups, meaning hundreds of youngsters would benefit from the upgrade.
The current facilities on Hagley Playing Fields are 50 years old.
Hagley councillor Steve Colella said the run-down building needed to be updating.
"It's a 1960s building and it has served its time. It has only got one or two windows and its not very nice at all.
"We have near enough 400 members and the majority of those train on Saturday mornings so we want to keep the numbers we have but want more development in and around Hagley and making sure there is the capacity and attraction so people want to come and join this club. We also want to increase the number of girls at the club."
Despite the current lack of funding, bosses are confident of a quick turnaround and it is hoped the new facilities will be completed for the start of the 2016/17 season.
Mr Colella said: "The funding needs to come through and as soon as we get that the work will be able to start."
