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FUNDING & FACILITIES
In 2006 Eastern Counties completed a facilities audit of every rugby club in its area. The audit showed where investment is needed to recruit and retain players and clubs are being revisited to discuss funding options.
ECRU Officers work closely with the RFU and the Rugby Football Foundation to secure funds for clubs ranging from grants to interest free loans. In the past two years Eastern Counties has coordinated financial support worth nearly £1,000,000 to 35 projects in its area.
Some information is given below but more details are at www.rfu.com/microsites/rff . If you want to discuss a project contact Brian Williams or Andrew Sarek.
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Groundmatch Grants
The Groundmatch Scheme provides easy-to-access grant funding for playing projects which contribute to the recruitment and retention of community rugby players.
The maximum available grant is £6000 (increased from £5000 August 2006) and the minimum is £1500. Grants will be available on the basis of "matching" clubs' own funds (internally or externally generated) on a 50:50 basis.
Clubs may only apply for one grant per project and are eligible for only one grant per financial year (i.e. per season).
Groundmatch Grants awarded to date
Sep 2007 Ipswich YM £6000 Car Park
Jun 2007 Woodbridge £6000 Kitchen
Apr 2007 Swaffham £4750 Car Park
Apr 2007 Southwold £6000 Clubhouse
Apr 2007 Ipswich £6000 Floodlights
Apr 2007 Diss £6000 Kitchen
Feb 2007 Ely £6000 Floodlights
Feb 2007 Lakenham-Hewett £6000 Showers
Feb 2007 Bury St Edmunds £6000 Clubhouse Development
Oct 2006 Saffron Walden £6000 Heating
Oct 2006 Brightlingsea £4347 Portable Floodlights
Oct 2006 Cambourne Exiles £1586 Portable Floodlights
May 2006 Sawston £1896 Boiler
Feb 2006 Lowestoft & Yarmouth £5000 Drainage
Feb 2006 Mistley £5000 Clubhouse refurbishment
Dec 2005 West Norfolk £5000 Floodlight
Nov 2004 Thetford £5000 Floodlights
Jul 2004 Fakenham £5000 Clubhouse refurbishment
Mar 2004 Woodbridge £5000 Pitch maintenance
Dec 2003 Crusaders £5000 Changing facilities
Oct 2003 Saffron Walden £5000 Clubhouse refurbishment
May 2003 Cambridge £5000 Showers
Apr 2003 Colchester £4978 Showers
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Interest Free Loans
This scheme provides loans to clubs to help finance capital projects which contribute to the recruitment and retention of community rugby players.
The maximum loan available is £100,000 and the minimum is £1500. Loans are available on the basis of supporting club funds (internally or externally generated).
Loans are interest free (though if a club defaults on a capital payment, the whole of the loan amount will be subject to interest until the outstanding amounts are paid).
The maximum loan period will be 15 years including a two year initial capital holiday.
Security will be required for the loan scheme, either in the form of a charge over property.
Loans awarded so far
Dec 2007 Woodbridge £50000 Land purchase
Jun 2007 Southwold £38000 Clubhouse
Feb 2007 Ely £10000 Floodlights
Feb 2007 Bury St Edmunds £100000 Clubhouse Extension
Jun 2005 Ipswich YM £35000 Car park
Apr 2005 Cambridge £75000 Clubhouse extension
Feb 2005 Colchester £90000 Clubhouse extension
Oct 2003 Cambridge £25000 Cluhouse refurbishment
Sep 2003 Colchester £3724 Showers
Apr 2003 Colchester £5350 Showers
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Community Club Development Programme (CCDP)
The CCDP is an innovative collaboration between the Government, Sport England and sports governing bodies aimed at improving facilities. The Rugby Football Union received £9.4m for the three-year programme.
The RFU projects range from putting down artificial pitches and improvements in existing playing surfaces to providing lighting for first team and training pitches to enable more people from more communities to take part in the game.
In the Eastern Counties projects funded with help from the CCDP include an All Weather Training Pitch at Bury St Edmunds, match floodlights at Thetford and West Norfolk, a clubhouse extension at Colchester and pitch improvements at Ely.
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