Pontefract RUFC calling on the community for help after financial blow

Over the last year, the Carleton based club really felt the impact of the pandemic, losing out on a huge £77,000 of income due to restrictions.

The RUFC haven’t been able to host functions, fundraisers nor their regular sporting activities.

But with the roadmap now in place, committee member Simon Fletcher set up a CrowdFunding page, Pontefract RUFC Return from Covid Fund.

Driving force Simon discussed the initiative with the other members of the club and between them, they decided the grounds are in need of a total revamp to celebrate being able to open their doors to the community after a trying financial year.

Phil Atkinson, club Chair, said: “Simon has been fantastic, he set it all up and made the CrowdFunding page.

“He galvanised members around him to take part and donate towards the cause after we had a chat about the project in March.

“And at the beginning of April, he launched the campaign and it’s really taken off, many people didn’t even realise the club was there until now.

“We’ve done our best to keep the club together and keep a bond between everyone who is a part of it, and it's also been nice to see the campaign help boost the profile of the club.

“If anyone wants to donate, they can rest assured that we will put the money to good use - everyone who’s donated is keen to see their money being spent well.”

With an initial target of £10,000, the club got to work with collecting donations for vital renovations, as well as keeping their facilities and club doors open to the wider community.

But in just four weeks, they’ve gone above and beyond their newest target of £35,000.

The money will go towards the completion, renovation and extension to the outside cafe and training area, pitch care activities like rolling, verti-draining, seeding and cutting, the automation of the main gates for security purposes.

It will also help pay for essential repairs to the club's infrastructure, replacement of training equipment and a social media marketing campaign to help relaunch the club post pandemic.

Simon, the committee member behind the idea, said: “ We want to take this opportunity to thank our players, juniors, families, friends, supporters and local community for their fantastic contribution of donating and spreading the word of our Return From Covid Fund.

“As we start to return a little more to normality at the end of what has been a tough time for many, our club, like all grassroots sports have not only found the pandemic tough financially but also socially, physically and mentally.

“This has not just impacted the senior and junior players but also those who like to support and use the clubs facilities for all sorts of leisure activities.

“The Crowdfunding project has created a real buzz around our great club and these funds and momentum from the project are going to make a huge difference for all our community for many years to come with improvements to our facilities and the provisions that we provide.

“I am honoured to have been a part in what has been an unbelievable team effort.”

Click here to donate to the Pontefract RUFC Return from Covid Fund