A campaign to install a new 3G Astro Turf pitch which would enable football to be played ‘morning, noon and night’ in Matlock has been boosted through sponsorship by local quarrying company Longcliffe.
The two-year commitment comes as the fundraisers – the Cavendish Fields Sports Assocation (CFSA) – launches a crowdfunder to achieve its £200,000 target.
The current all-weather pitch has been hosting Matlock Town Junior Football League, Matlock Town Football Club and North Derbyshire Youth Football League games for over 30 years. But now the surface is no longer up to the standards required by the Football Association – both in terms of quality and size.
Nick Newbury of the Matlock Town Juniors Football Club explains further: “We are delighted to receive this sponsorship from Longcliffe. The company has had a long association with supporting Matlock football teams so it’s great to see them invest in this pitch to give us a better playing surface into the future.
“The new pitch will give us a facility which is low maintenance, resilient to our weather and can be used all year round and from morning through to night. This in turn will see more local people getting involved in football. Currently the pitch is used by a variety of teams including a walking football group. The new pitch will be made available to the community and voluntary groups to encourage participation in team games.
“We have received support from the Football Foundation, Derbyshire FA and a number of other Local Organisations & Charities so we are now in a position to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise the remaining £15,000 that we need to enable us to go ahead with the project. We realise people are struggling with cost of living increases but we are hoping many local people will want to invest, no matter how small the amount.”
Longcliffe Managing Director Paul Boustead added: “We are delighted to be able to support this important local community sport facility. We wish the CFSA every success with their fundraising drive and hope to see the new pitch installed in the very near future.” To donate to the Club’s crowdfunder please go to:
https://crowdfunder.intercom-clicks.com/via/e?ob=ns4rCWAEDGivAGwAchvh6EWhHz1iS5eOCY69Ia1wUaeCu10sA2MHoAv7pi1Hv3g9ZVUBqF%2F%2BaeWctT700WBnqpRzrbkR53UXw7gDUB%2Frzi8%3D&h=fbb788844023e450c3738754c6179187b74872ad-ohx9ivi5_24231002225178