Burton Rugby Football Club secure £50,000 National Lottery funding from Sport England.
Free taster sessions for local community to celebrate the investment
Sport England announces £40 million to extend Inspired Facilities Fund to 2017

Burton Rugby Football Club has secured Olympic legacy funding from Sport England Inspired Facilities Fund Sport England have revealed that more than 1300 local sports projects across the country have now received National Lottery funding through Inspired Facilities part of its Olympic and Paralympics legacy programme.

Project Description: Replacing Nelsons Column

Burton Rugby Football Club will receive £50,000 of National Lottery Funding to replace the obsolete floodlights at the Peel Croft ground, home of Burton Rugby Football Club.

In 1968 Burton RFC embarked on an innovative project to install floodlighting to the sole rugby pitch at Peel Croft, Burton on Trent. This was the first rugby pitch to be lit in the region. In 1983 the club replaced the original lamps with a more modern set. Since this time, the lights have been periodically serviced and replaced. Unfortunately, a recent electrical service has found that these lights are obsolete and are no longer available. Only 60% of the lamps are now working with no solution to increasing provision.

A new floodlight installation at Burton RFC will enable the club to develop its sports and community strategies over the forthcoming years. Previously the Peel Croft was Staffordshire Rugby Unions premier “home”, but a decline in the quality of the lighting performance means that this is no longer the case. It is Burton RFC’s objective to develop the overall attractiveness of the club to make it more marketable for representative rugby matches both locally and regionally and for other community sports and business activities.

To celebrate the award local people are being invited to a free taster session at Burton Rugby Football Club to try out rugby on Tuesday 3rd September 7.00 -8.30pm at Burton Rugby Club, Peel Croft, Lichfield Street, Burton upon Trent, DE14 3RH

To register please contact Steve Smith on 07809 705 418 or steve@castele.co.uk for further details.

Sport England’s Chair Nick Bitel, said “ A year on from the Olympics, this National Lottery investment is helping us deliver a lasting sporting legacy in the Burton on Trent local community area of East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire.

“With investment now on offer from our Inspired Facilities Fund until 2017, we look forward to supporting many more sports clubs in the Burton on Trent local community who play such a vital role in grassroots sport.”

Burton Rugby Football Club President, Kevin Wrathall, said “this award from Sport England is fantastic news for the club and we thank Sport England for the grant funding to allow us to replace the old floodlights. The provision of quality floodlighting will be a tremendous help in allowing us to develop Burton RFC’s objectives both on and off the playing field along with our local community sport initiatives around the Burton on Trent area.

It also forms part of a wider project initiative we have been undertaking to improve the facilities at Burton RFC especially the social areas to make them more welcoming in order to encourage players, their families and friends to use the facility more but also enable the club to promote to the wider public & business community. This will further add to the clubs ambitions to become a financially sustainable community asset for years to come.”

Local MP Andrew Griffiths said “Burton Rugby Club are one of the biggest community sports clubs in the Midlands offering rugby opportunities to well over 500 people and are bucking a national trend of young people dropping out of sport. The club has redeveloped its internal facilities this year with over £45,000 of investment and goods in kind and new floodlights will only strengthen the club for the future.”

Tom Bartram, Area Facilities Manager for the RFU said “This investment will greatly enhance the facilities at one of Staffordshire’s most famous and historic rugby clubs. The Sport England Inspired Facilities funding will play an important part in helping Burton improve the quality of experience for players of all age groups at Peel Croft.
“This, on the back of further RFU funding which has been used to improve the social facilities at the ground, will allow Burton attract more players, particularly in the 14-24 age range, and to make the ground more attractive for use by the local community and business groups.”

Burton Rugby Football Club is one of well over 300 projects across England receiving lottery investment from the fourth round of the Inspired Facilities fund and one of more than 1,300 to benefit overall.
Many more communities are now set to benefit from the hugely popular fund, after Sport England announced on the 12th August that it was extending the Inspired Facilities until 2017, with an additional £40million of National Lottery funding to invest. Bids will be accepted for the next round of Inspired Facilities funding from 21st October 2013. You can find more at:

http://inspiredfacilities.sportengland.org/

ENDS

Kevin Wrathall

Burton RFC President and Ground Chairman

president@burtonrugbyclub.co.uk - 07986 005 967 -
The Burton Rugby Union Football Club Ltd. (Founded 1870)
Peel Croft | Lichfield Street | Burton upon Trent | DE14 3RH
Tel 01283 564510 | http://www.burtonrugbyclub.co.uk

Burton RFC - Working as One

Notes to Editors:

For more details about the project please contact Kevin Wrathall at Burton Rugby Football Club on 07986 005 967 or president@burtonrugbyclub.co.uk

The additional funding will be invested during 2014/5, 2015/6 and 2016/7. Funding for that round opens on 21st October 2013 will come out of the exiting budget.
For more information about Sport England, contact Natasha Quinn on 020 7273 1889