Spalding Rugby Club expects to be in a league of its own after being awarded a share of £5.5million National Lottery funding for its new ground.
The club is one of just 97 sports projects across England to receive £50,000 from Sport England’s Protected Playing Fields fund as part of the legacy from the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
South Holland planners recently gave the green light to the club for a project on Drain Bank that will use the latest pitch technologies to provide the best rugby facility and pitches in South Lincolnshire.
The grant will be used to prepare and drain the new ground but the project as a whole will see improved facilities for the junior section, which has had restricted use of pitches at it current location in St Thomas’s Road.
Jeremy Chew, of Spalding Rugby Club, said: “We are delighted that Sport England has approved funding to allow us to deliver the schemes planned as part of this project.
“The award of this grant is key part to delivering of our new ground project. We are a community club whose heart beat is the players, parents, supporters and sponsors.
“Establishing the new playing fields in time for the Rugby World Cup in 2015 will be a huge step for the future development, initially ensuring our junior section can continue to grow whilst providing the leading rugby facility in South Lincolnshire and also delivering the lasting legacy of the Olympics as intended by Sport England and LOCOG.”
Sport England chairman Nick Bitel said: “We know how valuable playing fields are to communities throughout the country. This fund allows us to maintain and protect these spaces so that high quality sports pitches are available in the heart of communities.”
Of the 97 projects receiving funding, Spalding’s is one of 33 to become Queen Elizabeth II Fields after agreeing to dedicate their playing field in “perpetuity”.
This is thanks to a partnership with Fields in Trust (FIT) which is running the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge as part of the programme to mark the Diamond Jubilee and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Helen Griffiths, chief executive of Fields in Trust, said: “We are delighted that the Protecting Playing Fields fund has raised the awareness of the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge to so many sites and led to numerous expressions of interest.
“Investment to improve spaces and increase participation on them is always much needed and so it is fantastic to see the funding provided by Sport England.”