Leaders in race to win Trophy cash

The Bluebirds, seven points clear at top of the EVO-STIK League Southern's top flight and away at Basingstoke on Saturday, are urging supporters to vote for the club in the £200,000 grounds renovation competition launched in January by FA Trophy sponsors Buildbase.

To celebrate taking over sponsorship of the FA Trophy and FA Vase this season, Buildbase will donate £50,000 in building and electrical products, in addition to hire equipment, to two clubs playing in competitions in 2017 and another two in 2018 as part of the Buildbase Club Renovation Programme.

The EVO-STIK League Southern Premier Division title-chasers were asking fans to register their support online this week ahead of Saturday's Buildbase FA Trophy quarter-finals before the six clubs with the most votes invited to pitch their projects to a panel of judges from the Football Association and Buildbase at Wembley.

After this season's two winners are announced at the FA Trophy and Vase semi-finals on March 11, they'll be officially presented with their awards on the second Non-League Finals Day at Wembley on May 21 with renovation work starting over the summer.

The Bluebirds are hoping to build a new £160,000 building for community use and classrooms to replace crumbling portable cabins. If successful, club officials are considering a number of options to raise the rest of the funds they need including a crowdfunding appeal, sponsored events and match-funding bids to the Foundation Football and both Wiltshire and Chippenham town councils.

Chippenham Town chairman Neil Blackmore said: “We’re top of the league, promotion is our aim and this will help us as we go forward. Whatever happens, we’re going to build this facility because we’ve been wanting to do it for as long as I’ve been here. At any level money is important to the club but to us we’re looking to improve some of our facilities. Hardenhuish Park is quite an old ground and we have portable cabins which are old and outdated.

"We’re trying to build quite a universal building for matchdays and non-match days. We’ve been repairing them but they’re probably at the end of their life and we’re looking to build something which would give us a multi-purpose facility. Part of the building would be used as the matchday office and press office and we’re hoping to use the facility as a classroom for our U18s and for any other meetings."

Fans can nominate clubs and register their support at http://www.buildbase.co.uk/pitch-in-your-support.

Follow the EVO-STIK League Southern on Twitter at @SouthernLeague1