Foundations laid for future

A rugby club with a rapidly growing youth section is looking to build a new changing block to meet the demand of its junior players.

Southwell Rugby Club needs around £100,000 for new changing rooms at its ground on Park Lane.

In the past ten years the club has gone from having virtually no youth section to 12 junior teams — one for every age group from under-6 to under-17 — with around 250 players.

The club’s existing changing block, which includes four changing rooms, cannot be extended because of its open plan design.

Juniors cannot use the shower facilities as players have to walk across a corridor to get to them.

The club’s chairman, Mr Phil Gardner, said the Rugby Football Union’s rules for junior facilities meant the showers had to be integrated into the changing rooms.

Mr Gardner said they planned to include two changing rooms in the new block.

He said it would also allow them to provide changing facilities for females.

The junior teams are mixed to under-10 level but after that girls and boys have to play separately.

There are no ladies’ teams at the club but Mr Gardner said with the new facilities it was something they could look to provide, if there was an interest.

The club is in discussion with the Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire RFU about applying for grants for the work on a match-funding basis.

In the past few years the club has spent more than £100,000 on a new pitch and floodlights with help from the Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire RFU.

If they are successful in getting funding for the new changing rooms, it will be the biggest single project that the club has undertaken in recent years.

The club holds events such as the recent fireworks display and the Alex Roots pop concert, which raise money towards club funds.

Southwell’s youth section started when some parents and members of the club decided to set up junior teams ten years ago.

All the coaches are volunteers and most are parents, although some senior players also coach the juniors.

Mr Gardner said they were now seeing the first band of juniors coming into the club’s senior teams after making their way through the youth section.