OKEHAMPTON Rugby Club has launched a £600,000 project over five years to try to secure new and improved pitches for the town.

The club has launched its Pitches Project Five Year Plan, developed by the club’s grounds sub-committee, to improve the two current pitches at Oaklands Park and for the provision of additional playing facilities at Hilltown Cross.

Speaking at a meeting to launch the project, club chairman Robert Barkwell said that Okehampton RFC was probably the biggest provider of sports facilities in West Devon, with over 200 senior and junior players passing through the club most weekends.

This popularity puts tremendous pressure on the club’s two pitches which have deteriorated dramatically over the past few seasons.

Mr Barkwell said: ‘The pitches at the moment look fantastic. They have had a lot of maintenance done which we get very kindly donated.

‘They look fantastic and if you were to go up to Oaklands today you wouldn’t know what all the fuss was about. But we live in an area where, by mid December we have a shedload of rain and the pitches can’t take it.

‘At the moment our pitches are used on Saturdays and Sundays for matches and then Tuesday and Thursday evenings for training. With that much usage there’s only one way they can go — they become unplayable. 

‘If we do secure these new pitches it would transform the club. All our training would be done at Hilltown Cross, while a percentage of the junior matches could also take place there.

‘We could then keep the pitches at Oaklands just for the majority of our matches. It would remove all the problems we have caused by over-usage of our current pitches. 

‘We’ve got a piece of land and we have an opportunity in front of us. It is a big ask, a massive ask to raise this much money over five years but we feel we have got a great chance.

‘With over 200 people coming through the club each weekend and then supporters and friends on top, that is a huge part of the town’s population getting involved.

‘This is a chance for us to provide rugby, which is a great sport, for the town and we want to do it for the betterment of Okehampton.’

Club secretary Dave Potter said: ‘Playing rugby in these conditions is very difficult and impossible for the younger players in the junior section to cope with, resulting in games being cancelled over the winter period.

‘This is not a sustainable situation for the club. Additional pitches will allow the club to keep the two current pitches for match days with training taking place at the alternative site.’

The plan aims to limit the damage done to the two pitches at Oaklands Park. The first phase will improve the back pitch at a cost of £50,000. The work is due to start in May 2016 and the pitch should then be available for use by September for the start of the 2016-17 season.

The second phase will improve the front pitch which is much more problematic. This work will cost up to £150,000. When the second phase commences, this pitch would be out of use for 18-months due to the extent of the work required on it.

The club has acquired land at Hilltown Cross on Northlew Road near the Manor House Hotel which will provide space for three pitches, one with floodlights and a changing room and shower facility. The next big hurdle for the club to overcome is to gain planning consent for the project and the club has already made steps to achieve this.

The club is planning to develop at least one pitch at the same time as the work on the front pitch at Oaklands Park so the club can continue to accommodate the number of matches that need to be played.

The total costs for the project are over £600,000. The club is seeking funds from the Rugby Football Union, Sport England and other sources to help with a fundraising programme that is being planned by the club to raise as much money as possible.

This programme will include a draw based on 1,000 squares of the pitch which could potentially raise up to £20,000.

The last major development for the club was over 40 years ago when it was moved to its current Oaklands Park home and the stand and clubhouse were built.

Dave Potter said: ‘This is probably a more ambitious project for the club and seeks to build on that success. The plans should ensure that the club can continue to provide good quality rugby with excellent facilities for an increasing population in a sustainable environment for future generations.

‘The club prides itself on being a community amateur sports club and intends to continue to take its full place in the Okehampton community.’

The club is appealing for people in the community who can offer their expertise in any way they can, from fundraising to designing the new facilities. Visit www. pitchero.com/clubs/ okehampton for more information.