In our 75th Anniversary season we have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £30,000 towards additional floodlighting for our rugby club, by the end of August 2023.

Your support is much needed and will enhance our sports facilities in the darker winter months for training and matches as well as other community events and activities when inclement weather limits the use of our training paddock.

The Campaign:

We are looking to fund a complete set of match standard floodlights for Pitch 3 which will also provide backlighting on the adjacent pitch for additional training capacity as this is currently either limited or prohibited during winter months due to water logging and overuse. Additionally, the project will provide the flexibility to host evening matches and bring players and supporters into our Club who for whatever reason cannot play or support at weekends.

The planning application has already been submitted and approved by Cotswold District Council. It includes:

• Full match lighting for Pitch 3 (nearest the Clubhouse) and main car park.

• Backlighting from Pitch 3 on to Pitch 2 for additional winter training.

• Power supply and associated works from the Clubhouse to the floodlight box at the pitches.

At the heart of the community:

We are a grassroots community sports club situated close to the town centre of Cirencester with:

• Over 350 playing members, ranging from under 6 to adults.

• Two senior league teams.

• A veterans team.

• A growing girls' section.

Our club is also utilised by Cirencester Hockey Club and Cirencester Lacrosse Club. Alongside social and associated members, this takes the combined membership to almost 1000.

In addition, other regular users include Fit for Life, Cirencester Male Voice Choir, Tae-Kwando Classes, the NHS and Cotswold District Council. We also host many private bookings for personal, corporate and charity events, meetings, and celebrations.

Why is this needed?

The provision of match standard floodlighting will provide the following benefits.

• Additional training capacity in winter when the days get shorter and too dark to train without lighting. Currently, the only floodlit area is the paddock, and this is frequently unplayable in extreme weather and very limited for space to enable a full spectrum of training activity for all club users.

• The ability to rotate training across more of the club estate. This will enable us to rest the ground when necessary, minimising postponement and/or cancellation of training and matches and reduce ground maintenance costs at the end of the season.

• The flexibility to host evening matches during the week to accommodate a wider playing and supporter base, particularly those who work weekends.

• Floodlit pitches also present a more accessible area for spectators and supporters; young and old.

Cirencester town is continuously expanding, and our club needs to find ways to better utilise the land we must accommodate an expected growth in membership and develop the use of our facilities for the wider benefit of the local community. We also recognise that the changing demographic and how the lives of many of our players and supporters are no longer fixed to the traditional ‘9 to 5 Monday to Friday’ routine which requires us to provide other ways to enable them to participate in rugby and the wider club.

We have been awarded Section 106 funding from Cotswold District Council, but this does not cover the full amount required to complete this project, so we are seeking donations from club members, supporters, users of our fantastic facilities, local businesses, family, and friends of CRFC to raise additional funding required by the end August 2023. This will enable us to have the floodlights in position by Winter 2023, as the works will take approximately 12 weeks from commencement to completion.

Thank you to everyone who supports us, from all at CRFC.