Harper hoping for a Macc makeover
LUKE JARMYN gets the lowdown on how Macclesfield are trying to build for the future
Macclesfield chairman and former captain Peter Harper is on a mission to make his club one of the finest in the North with facilities to rival the best on offer in the country. They may be languishing at the foot of National One but that has not dimmeed optimism that they can become a rugby hotbed to attract top young talent in the area.
The National One club put in an application to redevelop their Priory Park ground to West Chester council last week, which will see £4 million pumped into the club as well as a new 3G pitch for the first team.
Four of the club’s 32 acres will be sold off to a propery developer to provide revenue for the new facilities, with a few in the local community taking issue with the plans.
But former captain Peter Harper is confident the scheme will go through and says it is vital for the future of the club. He told The Rugby Paper: “We are confident with the plans, the club is not fit for purpose anymore and it will make us self-sustainable in the long term, which is the only way for us.
“We don’t want to be relying on a sugar daddy and at the moment we are throwing good money after bad. We have had to show the work is needed otherwise we wouldn’t have got Sport England’s approval for this as a special case.
“The big issue is building on green belt land, if it wasn’t for that then we wouldn’t have any problems but we need to prove that the club is in need and that all the money generated will go into the plans.
“We have had to jump through a lot of hoops. But the four acres that are being sold off are not being used currently anyway.”
The club house and stand will be demolished with a larger complex being built at a different location on the site at the end of the new 3G pitch while seating capacity will double to
around 500 with a second stand to be built.
It also means the club can start a woman’s section and host business functions.
Previously seen as controversial, Newcastle and Saracens have already got a 3G surface in the Premiership and head coach Giles Heagerty believes its benefits far outweigh the negatives.
“Its good as your rugby can be played in a pure form on it, its quick,” Heagerty said.
“We’ve been practicising on one for the last month to practice for Rosslyn Park but also because the weather can be pretty bleak here and it impacts on your training.
“The morale and quality of your sessions go through the roof because no one is getting covered in mud, and despite all the talk of tendinopothy, there is no evidence to support that and the boys enjoy it.
“It improves your skill set and allows you to play with a bit more freedom. Plus the 2nds can play before and then you’re straight on.”
Despite facing relegation, the exLondon Irish A player and England Under-18 coach is confident the club have a bright future.
Heagerty added: “It doesn’t matter what league we are in, this will happen, the destiny of the club and the first team are not intertwined. The club have a plan and that will go through regardless of where we are.
“We have a thriving minis and junior section and we don’t want to be cancelling colts games because pitches are wet. With Fallibroome Academy School next door and Kings’ nearby, it’s an opportunity for the facilities to be used by everybody in the right way.”
“The club is not fit for purpose anymore - this will make us self-sustainable”