All Change at Cirencester

The club’s motto, “Providing football for all”, had seen it pioneer the concept of the youth academy some 25 years ago, as well as forge close links with nearby Cirencester College. Since then however, the limitations of its facilities had left it with no option but to turn promising young players away to Swindon, Cheltenham, or Gloucester.

In the club’s bid to become more financially and environmentally sustainable, its chairman, Steve Abbley, identified the potential for an artificial grass pitch to reduce the impact of poor weather on fixtures and training schedules, while simultaneously creating a new revenue stream through hiring the pitch out to local third-parties.

The Centurions embarked on a fundraising mission which saw them successfully apply for a grant through The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund. Having also secured sponsorship from the club’s chairman, one of its key local sponsors, and Cirencester College over a two-year period, Cirencester Town FC soon had the funding – and the local interest – to invest in a new, full-sized 3G pitch.

Since its installation, the new pitch has boosted interest in the club’s facilities, attracted more junior players, and even helped the club to increase its sponsorship and advertising revenue. As a result of the extra income generated by the new playing surface, the club’s investment is expected to pay for itself in less than 10 years.

“Within weeks of the new surface being installed, we’d seen an increase in the number of people enquiring about using our facilities – which even extended to interest in our clubhouse venue as well as the pitch. We have increased the number of junior players from 187 to 297 in just three months and have created eight new youth teams as a result.

“We’re over the moon with how the new pitch looks, and are delighted with the positive impact we’ve been able to make on the local community.”