A new clubhouse for Claygate... ...and a new community resource
We need your help!
Claygate Recreation Ground Trust (CRGT)
CRGT is an enterprising initiative
between Elmbridge Borough Council
(EBC) and the community of Claygate.
It was set up in 1998 with the object of
managing the Claygate Recreation Ground.
To cover the cost of ground and clubhouse
maintenance the CRGT is paid an annual
sum as well as collecting fees from users of
the facilities.
These local organisations are part of the
CRGT which is registered as a charity:
Claygate Parish Council
Claygate Cricket Club
Claygate Royals Football Club
Claygate Flower Show
Claygate Youth Club
Elmbridge Borough Council
Claygate Church of England
Some of recent work undertaken by CRGT
on behalf of local organisations has been
improvements to the maintenance and
drainage of the football pitches and the
hedges and woodland area.
Claygate Cricket Club in particular has
been promoting the need for a new clubhouse
for many years and are prime movers
in this proposal.
Claygate Cricket Club – nearly 125 years of history!
Claygate Cricket Club (CCC) started life
124 years ago. Only eight years
previously England had played
Australia in the first ‘Ashes’ test match!
In 1885 cricketers still wore spots or
stripes on their shirts, and the club became
established thanks to the energetic
Honourable Fitzalan Foley as President with
‘Loseberry’ as the first home ground. Local
press reports described the club as one of
the ‘strongest village combinations in the
country’. Some journalistic licence may
have been involved!
Claygate Cricket Club has played on
Claygate’s Recreation Ground since 1935. It
is distinctive in that it has two large mature
oak trees within the outfield, for which
there are particular local rules! CCC will be
celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2010
which is an incentive to help advance the
proposals for a new clubhouse and use the
celebration as a fund raising opportunity.
The club has a strong community
relationship and is proud of its wide
diversity of players in terms of incomes, age
and ethnicity. The club runs two Saturday,
two Sunday and a mid-week adult team.
The two Saturday teams play in the Surrey
Downs League.
The youth sections are very strong with
Kwik cricket on Sunday mornings and colts
teams which compete in the West Surrey
Youth Cricket League at ages 10-15. The
Club also has an active coaching development
programme.
The club has participated in club/schools
partnerships by running cricket coaching
sessions at Claygate Primary School and
has held schools cricket competitions in
partnership with Elmbridge for the last
two years. Claygate also runs a cricket
week at the end of July and has organised
very successful international tours every
other year since 1995.
Several Claygate CC members are
trustees of CRGT and actively participate in
the management of the Recreation Ground.
CRGT has assurance from EBC that the
lease can be renewed to a 25 year basis, to
support funding for a new clubhouse.
CRGT and Claygate CC have agreed
that for the purposes of this clubhouse
development, they will enter into a joint
agreement for the funding, management
and maintenance of the new facility in the
interests of all users and the community.
CCC has recently invested in a number
of new facilities. Its single most
important weakness is its ageing
and unsanitary clubhouse.
Claygate Royals Football Club
Formed in 1990, Claygate Royals FC
is a thriving soccer club providing
Sunday league soccer for children,
young people and adults.
The Club has grown significantly in
recent years and now comprises 27 teams
from Under 7 through to U16, three girl’s
teams and has 360 registered players.
CRFC compete in numerous local
football leagues across Surrey. The club is
actively seeking FA Charter
Standard Community Club
status and are keen to
promote football in the
community, providing boys
and girls with a safe and
secure environment in which
to enjoy the sport. The Club
Committee comprises a strong team of dedicated managers who in
turn enjoy strong parental support within
their teams. The Club is also very well
respected within its own local community.
Annual subscriptions are kept attractively
low and finances are boosted by a number
of regular social and sporting fundraising
events
Claygate Royals has in the past been a
leading club for female football, but is
continually struggling to retain and attract
female players due to the lack of suitable
facilities for ladies compared with those
within other sports.
We can’t continue to develop with a clubhouse like this!
The existing building is more than 60 years old and generally
in poor condition.
In particular the changing space is too small, the toilets which
are only one male and one female are external and unsatisfactory,
the kitchen does not comply with modern standards, access is not
compliant with current legislation in relation to disabled use and
generally it probably should be condemned.
The CRGT has considered various refurbishment options but
concluded that they are neither cost effective nor in the longer
term interests of main users and the community.
Our plans Architects impression
These plans are still preliminary, but
represent the style and scale of the
proposal.
The architect, Crane & Associates has
endeavoured to comply with guidance from
English Cricket Board and equivalent
Football Foundation guide lines.
Modern and increased capacity indoor
toilets with proper access.
Increased space for changing and proper
shower facilities.
A kitchen that complies with modern
environmental criteria.
A lounge area which can accommodate
cricket teas, club meetings, and a range
of community uses.
A room in which match officials can
change.
Perhaps most importantly, it provides
an attractive community facility for
Claygate for many years to come.
Our location
The ground is at the end of Dalmore
Avenue in the centre of Claygate. One end
of the ground fronts onto Church Road.
The existing clubhouse is sited in the northwest
corner of the ground.
New Location
Potential community use
With hygienic facilities and proper access, it is envisaged
that the new building would potentially be able to be used
by the wider community in addition to the two existing
sports clubs:
Local business football and cricket teams.
Local junior schools.
Birthday and other anniversary celebrations.
Claygate Scouts and Guides.
Mother and toddler groups who use the adjacent
recreational area.
Teams using the multi-sports basketball area.
Extension of the existing usage by local schools.
Other ad-hoc sports on the Rec., e.g. rounders, softball,
football etc.
A new attractive clubhouse has numerous
benefits:
Improve the image, appearance and respect for the
recreation ground.
Improve the facilities for youth football and cricket which
are currently well below standards acceptable to Surrey FA
and Surrey CCC.
Improve the potential for Claygate Cricket Club to play in
higher leagues and to attract new players from a wider
cross section of the community.
Enable girls to participate and have use of appropriate
changing and toilet facilities.
Attract more residents of Claygate to use the Recreation
Ground and play sport.
Provide a community hall that has access to grassed, safe
play areas.
Replace Elmbridge’s aged asset with a new one at very
small cost to Elmbridge and council tax payers.
Reduce the maintenance costs to keep the old clubhouse
operational.
Costs and funding
Estimates have been obtained from local builders and
from a quantity surveyor, as well as comparisons being
made with other recently built clubhouses in the area.
The total estimated cost is approx £275,000.
Funding has either been assured or applied for from
Elmbridge Borough Council, Claygate Cricket Club,
Claygate Royals Football Club, the CRGT, Biffa (Land
Fill Tax*), the Football Foundation and the England
and Wales Cricket Board. Other local sources of
funding are anticipated.
There will be a number of services supplied by members,
leaving a shortfall of around £40k for commercial
sponsorship and fundraising by the clubs themselves.
TOTAL = £275,000
* Landfill tax is paid on top of normal landfill fees by businesses and local
authorities that want to dispose of waste using a landfill site. It is designed
to encourage businesses to produce less waste and to use alternative forms
of waste management. The Landfill Communities Fund is funded by this tax
and contributes money to organisations that carry out environmental
improvement projects such as the proposed Claygate clubhouse.
Our target for commercial
sponsorship is £40,000
If we can achieve more, it will enable us to lower
our targets for other fund raising activities or loans.
There is a wide scope for businesses or individuals
in the community to help support a unique, highly
attractive and visible local development.
Sponsorship of the clubhouse
There are a range of sponsorship opportunities for
businesses or individuals to sponsor rooms, walls or
individuals bricks within the new clubhouse. Sponsorship
of the whole clubhouse is available, or we would be very
happy to negotiate naming rights on this basis or on each
dressing room, kitchen etc.
The bar
This is the largest individual sponsorship opportunity
within the clubhouse and we will be discussing this with
local drinks suppliers, and or, local breweries.
Individual sponsorship
We are creating gold, silver and bronze sponsor packages
which will be individually negotiated and will give naming
rights and other benefits as appropriate – i.e. club
membership for life!
We will be approaching individuals, businesses and
organisations over the coming months. If you would like
to participate in this exciting local development in a real
and tangible way, please contact Nigel Abbott for further
information:
Club Directions
