Community cricket club launches £60k appeal to improve facilities for all
Players and supporters at historic Walsall Cricket Club have been putting their best foot forward as part of efforts to raise £60,000 to spruce up the facilities to attract more players and fans.
Members have embarked on a series of capers to cover the cost of new practise lanes and nets, revamped ladies changing rooms, industrial lawn mowers, storage and picnic tables for the ground, in Gorway Road, in Highgate.
Club members have taken part in numerous fundraising activities, filmed a video, put on music nights towards the project to replace the rundown netting and revamp which will cost about £70,000 in total.
The management committee at the 212-year-old club has so far raised £4,100 towards a £30,000 online appeal.
There are also plans to apply for a £15,000 matching funding grant from the Sports England movement fund plus bids to other charitable trusts with the help of a paid bid writer.
Its main adult teams play in the Premier Division of the Birmingham and District Premier League and the members are keen to make improvements to the facilities for fans and players.
Hashim Iqbal, first team captain who started playing at the site as a youngster, explained: "There was a point last year when we couldn't let the juniors use the nets because of all the holes in the middle of them.
"People may get got on someone's head. We're currently having to hiring a facility elsewhere for some of the juniors to train. The plan is to change the nets from two lanes to three lanes.
"We are going to make it enclosed so to make it hopefully safer for everyone. There are times when we are playing a senior game and there's kids training or a junior game and adults training at the same time.
"If the ball flies down onto the out field it could become a safety issue. You can't have that if there are kids running around.
"The nets near the road are the worst. We can't use those apart from really young kids. We want to refurbish those and the juniors can use those which will get us up to six lanes."
Nick Bryars, head of woman and girls cricket, added: " We are fundraising to improve the nets. They are not in the best state. There's also some near the road. We need new changing room facility's and picnic benches.
"We need a complete refit. We have hundreds of players."
On Sunday several players put on their running shoes to participate in the Run Through Cannock Chase Running Festival. Other events included last month Walsall-based saxophone band Sax Cats performed at a pizza night which raised £793.
Meanwhile upcoming events towards the appeal include a Halloween party on October 26, followed by a Diwali party on November 2.
To donate see the webpage crowdfunder.co.uk/p/walsall-cricket-club-fundraiser
The club was founded in 1812 and was situated in the Chuckery area of the town before the current site was bought in 1907. It has hundreds of members on the books with many been at the club since aged five.
