Salford City Roosters have launched another period of fundraising to support the building of a new clubhouse through a GoFundMe page.
The club has rugby league teams for ages ranging from three to five-years-old through to adulthood. With around six teams going at the moment, the Roosters are hoping that the fundraising will allow them to increase their outreach to incorporate female teams and teams for people with physical disabilities.
Chairman of Salford City Roosters Chris Irwin, 38, has been involved with the club from the age of 13 when he used to play for them.
Chris said: “In total, it (the fundraising) started in 2018. The rugby league had a scheme with the Rugby World Cup which is due to take place this year, and as a result of the world cup they want to leave a legacy, so they introduced a funding pot for clubs like ourselves to access.
“You can receive a maximum of £375,000 through the World Cup Legacy Fund, and that was through Sport England and the Rugby Football League. We then needed to have a partner with it because it needed to be match funded, so Salford City Council supported us with that and matched the fee that the World Cup Legacy fund had given us. We now need to contribute £14,000 to that pot.”
The current lockdown restrictions have made fundraising quite difficult, causing the club and its members to think outside the box.
Players have been sharing photos of themselves taking part in bike rides, runs and walks in order to raise funds for the new clubhouse. Salford City Councillor Chris Smith can also be seen posting CrossFit type activities to help raise funds!
Great first day of The Roosters Get Fit Challenge today!! Here's a snippet of the progress we've had across all age groups. 👏🏻
Walk, run or cycle through February.
Great work everybody!
Keep motivating our teams by donating here https://t.co/73VxY9C87U pic.twitter.com/ssbkRNMak9
— SalfordCityRoosters (@SalfordRoosters) February 1, 2021
Chris Irwin said: “It’s our 40th year this year, so initially the plan was to have a big 40th anniversary ball, and at those kinds of events you can raise some decent money for the cause. We had planned a series of social events but Covid has shut them down sadly.
“The club is selling its 40 year anniversary apparel, so training wear and things like that. We’re getting contact from players in Australia and Northern Ireland with guys asking how they can purchase it, so any money we raise from this will go in the clubhouse fund too. We are trying our best to engage with as many people as we can in such trying times.”
Over the past 40 years Salford City Roosters has provided the community with the opportunity to play rugby league, and in some cases has kept young people out of antisocial behaviour. Their plan is to keep supporting even more people and to provide a warm, welcoming atmosphere within the club.
Chris Irwin said: “We want to have this clubhouse that will bring people in and keep people safe. It is great in terms of the physical side with the rugby, but the social aspect is just as important.”
Donations to the new clubhouse fund can be made here.
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