WICKLOW RUGBY CLUB LAUNCHES NEW €250,000 DEVELOPMENT PLAN
A PLAN to develop a €250,000 extension to the clubhouse of Wicklow Rugby Football Club has been launched by the organisation.
Permission for the proposed plan received the thumbs-up from Wicklow County Council earlier this year and, speaking to this newspaper, club chairperson Duncan Duke said it’s hoped the work will be completed by September 2019, in time for the new season.
‘The club has expanded a lot in recent years and this is all part of our plan to cater for that growth,’ said Mr Duke.
The club’s senior men’s team was recently promoted to Division 1A in the Leinster League which means they will now have Saturday matches along with the club’s youth teams.
‘This puts a lot of pressure on the club’s changing facilities,’ said Mr Duke.
The four changing rooms can be used by as many as 10 teams on any given match day and local schools also use the club’s facilities for mid-week games.
‘When the permission was granted the club decided to set up a Development Project Committee which has eight members,’ said Mr Duke.
That committee is overseeing the plan for the development which will be based specifically around an extension to the club- house and will incorporate a gymnasium and two additional changing rooms.
‘The club has expanded at such a rate and has experienced growth at such a level that we need to expand [facilities],’ said Mr Duke.
Obviously, the club has applied for sports capital grants to offset the cost of the development but it will still be reliant on additional help from members of the public.
‘We hope to get at least half the money through sports capital grants but obviously there will still be a large amount that we will have to cover ourselves,’ said Mr Duke
As part of the new project a dedicated page has been set up with a direct link through the club’s official website.
‘We decided to create a dedicated web space for the project through which people can get information about it including why we need to do it,’ said Mr Duke.
‘We’ve also got information on there on how people can make donations,’ he added.
Anyone interested in donating money to the project can do so through the dedicated link which can be accessed by visiting the website at www. wicklowrfc.com.
‘Ideally, we would like to have the money raised by the end of April and then start building in the summer,’ said Mr Duke.
It’s expected the project will take a couple of months to complete.
‘We would hope to have it ready for next season.’
Mr Duke said that in an ideal scenario everything will be in place by September.
A new gymnasium will form a big part of the extension and with physical conditioning a major component for rugby Mr Duke said the existing gym can’t cater for the current demand.
‘The new gym will be operational all year around and will support player development,’ he said.
However, the gym will also be available to the wider community and that is something the club is keen to highlight.
Once competed the new gymnasium will take up around 160 sq. metres and will enable the club to become more accessible to the local community.
The club is also keen to enhance its reputation for promoting good sportsmanship on and off the field.
‘We want to be known as a club that is welcoming and that we are at the heart of our local community,’ said Mr Duke.