A superb new £750,000 full size all-weather facility for use by the community has been formally commissioned at Moseley Rugby Club’s Billesley Common ground.
It is forecast that the pitch will be used for over 3,200 hours each year, equating to over 32,000 individual uses by children and adults from local schools, clubs and the community.
The full-sized floodlit pitch uses the latest rubber crumb technology and is the only facility of its kind in Birmingham and upon which both rugby and football can be played. It will accommodate full sized rugby and football matches as well as up to three five-a-side football games.
Moseley Rugby Club obtained funding of the £750,000 as part of the Rugby Football Union’s Community Club Development Programme (CCDP), the Football Foundation and Sport England’s CCDP Contingency Budget.
Moseley will operate the facility and Maypole Football Club will be its football partner. Both clubs are heavily involved in community and youth work and hold National Accreditation quality standards with the RFU and FA respectively.
The aim will be to increase the participation levels of football, rugby and physical education for the whole community through Moseley and Maypole’s community development programmes. They will be assisted in their aims by the direct sports activities of Swanshurst Girls School, Kings Heath Boys School, Bishop Challoner Sports College and Wheelers Lane Schools.
In addition, Bishop Challoner School Sports Partnership Programme involves thirty-two local secondary, primary and special schools. There will also be input through the sports development programmes of Birmingham City Council and the Birmingham County FA and community programmes run by Moseley and the Council.
As well as local schools and Moseley and Maypole training, use has also already been made by other local rugby and football clubs, community groups, the police and the Cubs. A tag team rugby sevens competition has started on Tuesday evenings for the summer months and a six-a-side football league is beginning on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. These competitions and leagues are open to anyone who wants to enter a team.
Anyone wishing to book the one-hour sessions for any activity should contact Moseley’s Community Development Managers Danny Protherough or Tom Mackintosh on 0121 443 3631, or email info@moseleyrugby.co.uk, or for the mini football contact 6asideleagues.com by email or on 0870 6200 645.
Moseley President Derek Nutt said:"It’s a fantastic new facility that will make an enormous contribution to the community. Our players will certainly benefit, but their training will only make up a small proportion of the facility’s activity.
"The bulk of the usage will be by schools and the community at large. We really want to see it used to its full capacity and I’m sure it will be."
Steve Town, Regional Director, Sport England, said: "The local community will benefit immensely from this excellent new ‘state of the art’ facility, being able to play rugby and football regardless of the weather. With well-established links to local schools, the pitch will be used to its maximum benefit and more people will have a chance to play and enjoy sport. My congratulations to everyone involved with the project."
Ross Baxter, the RFU Manager of Facilities and Funding in the region said:"The new facility at Moseley is key to the local and regional development of rugby union in the area and working with the various partners we're sure that increased opportunities can be provided for all those who wish to participate in rugby.
"We’re delighted to have been able to work with the Football Foundation again to provide an excellent facility for both sports. This project follows others at Brighton and Newquay – and our partnership continues to go from strength to strength." |
