It’s been a while since my last communication, and I wanted to update you on some developments as the result of conversations we have been having as an Exec committee over the past few months.
We have been reviewing our development plans since the beginning of the season and while we have made significant steps forward with the installation of new drainage, LED lighting and the upgrade to our changing facilities, we are still a long way off from our financial target to install an AGP (3G pitch) at Gordano RFC.
The installation of the 3G carpet, with shock pad system and all the necessary tools to maintain them is somewhere between £250,000-£300,000 and quite possibly a lot more as prices of materials have risen. Despite our best efforts to secure significant grant funding for our project, the realisation of a 3G pitch at Gordano RFC in the near future seems unlikely.
The ultimate outcome of the 3G installation was always to improve the quality and durability of our playing surface at Gordano. So, we have decided, for the foreseeable future, to invest more in the current grass pitches (both at the club and at the Graveyard) and the training areas to achieve this.
Part of this investment will be self-funded from the money we raise through pitch-side sponsorship and part will be funded through a pitch maintenance and machinery grant from the RFU. The 3G fund we have accrued through individual and team donations and sponsored events remains ring-fenced.
To get the best out of our pitches for next season, we need to start the work now, so we have invested in a tractor with mowing and pitch grooming attachments, enabling us to put in place a comprehensive pitch maintenance schedule that we will carry out over the remainder of this season, throughout the summer and beyond.
The maintenance work will largely be carried out on a voluntary basis, and we have already had a few members go through the necessary training and accreditation provided for the RFU by the Grounds Management Association (GMA), overseen by GMA experts as part of our fulfilment for the RFU grant funding.
Expert tasks such as over-seeding, fertilising and aeration will continue to be carried out by our trusted partner Sportfields.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any of the others on the Exec team directly.
Don Mowbray
Chairman, Gordano RFC