Ilkley new clubhouse under construction
Sep
Ilkley RFC's dream of a gleaming new clubhouse and changing facility is about to become reality as a £1.6 million project gets underway.
The handsome new headquarters are light years away from a time not so long ago when the car park was often a lake, the second pitch was a quagmire by December and the ground maintenance equipment was a museum piece garaged in a leaky container.
Replacing the early 1920's clubhouse has involved a long and exhausting journey for club officials since the day four years ago when the committee gave their blessing to the project. The club pledged to raise in the region of £850,000 in order that outside funders would come on board and with Chairman Richard Scargill energetically driving the fund-raising effort forward, patrons, friends and members from every section of the club have risen to the occasion with amazing generosity.
Club Secretary Ken Bernard and Tony Rising presented the case for funding professionally and successfully, the biggest funder being the Sport England Big Lottery Fund with £328,000 (plus a £5,000 per year revenue grant), followed by Bradford Council (£50,000) and Ilkley Parish Council (£30,000).
Work set to start imminently
The RFU has granted £100,000 and extended an interest free loan of a similar amount, while the club's status as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) produced around £125,000 from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in tax rebates from donations.
The work is scheduled to start on September 20 and a 44-week build programme is estimated. The new facility will therefore be ready for the new season in 2011, which will require the club to utilise temporary accommodation this season, including a social relocation to the fine new facilities of adjacent Ilkley Cricket Club.
Anne Ibrahim, Sport England’s Regional Lead for Yorkshire, said: “If community sports clubs want to attract and retain participants, they need to be able to offer quality facilities for everyone. Ilkley Rugby Club’s new facilities will be welcomed by regular users and those who are new to their sport. We're delighted to be supporting the club in improving opportunities to play rugby.”
