The pitch is now fully operational from Monday 23rd July! The official opening will be taking place on the 8th September. Further details to follow.
We would like to thank everyone involved in the process and administration from the Sports Club and the Hockey Sections for their efforts in achieving this fantastic result… Many clubs can’t afford to do what we’ve done, because they have not been so ‘wise’ with their monies.
We have been able to replace the Carpet and Shockpad, at a total cost of £200k+, due to the strong financial control applied to the Synthetic Pitch, by all those involved both currently and historically. Without all this effort, we would not have been able to do this, and I hope all members appreciate what This Club has achieved.
That said – we have to start all over again. We have effectively emptied The Club’s coffers, and we need to start the process of refilling them. Remember all monies (except VAT) is effectively saved by The Club, in order to replace the facilities. We don’t make a profit, we don’t pay bank loans and almost all the work is done voluntarily to ensure that no monies are wasted.
We have not had a price rise since September 2009, and we have not increased floodlight costs for 4 years, despite the increasing cost of electricity. The new fees therefore reflect the long delay since our last increase, and also that we are now playing on the best pitch in the area. I trust that all members, non-members and club users appreciate this point, and will not begrudge The Managements intention to charge properly, and fairly, for use of this fantastic facility.
This is our one-off opportunity to start to re-build our finances, so that in 10/11 years’ time, we will again be able to do this, without recourse to bank borrowing.
Roger Carter – Director of Belper Meadows Synthetic Pitch(s) Ltd
