Home | Case Studies | Blyth Town FC
Banks on target at Blyth Town FC
Monday 21 April 2008
Players at a Northumberland community football club are hitting the back of the net much more often after a grant from regional developer The Banks Group paid for a new set of state-of-the-art goalposts.
Blyth Town FC has used a £5,000 grant from the Banks Community Fund to pay for the demountable goalposts, as well as for a number of storage containers in which the posts and all the club’s other equipment can be safely and securely stored.
Tables and chairs to go in the club’s new headquarters building have also been purchased with the grant funding.
Founded in 1995, Blyth Town FC was the first club in Northumberland to achieve the Football Association’s Community Charter Standard, and runs a total of 27 teams which play in a number of county and regional league competitions.
The club, which is managed by a committed group of 60 volunteers and has 400 junior players on its books from across the area, recently refurbished and extended its ground and facilities with the aid of grants from the Football Foundation and Blyth Valley Borough Council.
Club chair Sandra Orr says: “All our players are extremely proud of our new facilities, and the items that the Banks grant has helped us purchase are the icing on the cake.
“When you’re trying to get young players teams organised before a match, the last thing our coaches and volunteers want to be doing is spending all their time setting up the equipment for the game, and having demountable goalposts is helping us cut right down on the time needed to get everything in place.
“The support we’ve received from Banks has helped us cover off some urgent funding requirements and everyone at the club is extremely grateful for their help.”
The Banks Group is heavily involved with ongoing regeneration work in the Blyth area, and has recently put forward plans for a multi-million pound residential regeneration project across three sites in the town, in partnership with UK COAL.
Mark Dowdall, environment and community director at The Banks Group, adds: "Blyth Town FC has very quickly established itself as one of the leading community organisations in the town, and it is setting a high standard for other regional clubs to follow.
“It’s great to see our grant being put to use for the benefit of so many local people, and we’re looking forward to seeing the club go from strength to strength both on and off the pitch.”