Halton Farnworth Hornets ARLFC are a rugby league club based in Widnes, Cheshire, with over 20 teams. Since forming in 1975, they’ve never owned their own facilities or had a place to call home, until recently when they embarked on a journey to develop their own facilities.
We caught up with Brian Tobin, Vice Chair to find out how they did this and the advice they’d give to others.
Before having their own facilities, Halton Farnworth Hornets rented a ground from their local authority, which included 10 rugby pitches, six football pitches and a changing room block. While these facilities catered for their playing needs, there was no social or communal space, so they often travelled and hired other venues for this.
The club saw the potential of this site and wanted to secure it as their permanent home. Their aspiration was to develop the facilities to include both playing and social activities.
The first step in the development of the project was to work with the local authority to secure a long-term lease for 25 years; this would offer them enough security to be able to apply for funding.
Once the lease was secured, the club started to look at plans to develop the facility. They considered building a new facility or refurbishing the existing changing block.
After discussions with experts including their National Governing Body (NGB), local authority and Sport England, they decided to refurbish the existing facility. This proved to be more cost-effective and meant they wouldn’t be without a facility for a long period of time.
Their plans included reconfiguring the existing changing block to create a new lounge area and converting an unused gym space into new changing rooms.
The club initially had a far bigger scheme in mind but, when the quotes for the work were received, they revised their plans to make them more affordable.
Having their own facilities has been a long-term ambition of the club. To help achieve this, in 2014 they developed a financial plan with a target of raising £80,000 over 10 years. This target was achieved within eight years.
They did this by hosting fundraising events and activities including raffles, annual festivals, fundays, and a 24-hour sponsored walk or run around the ground. They also received a £20,000 grant from their NGB, the Rugby Football League, as part of the 2021 World Cup Legacy fund.
To help reduce the costs of the project they used the skills of their members, who volunteered to carry out a lot of the work themselves. They also engaged their local community by providing updates on social media about their fundraising efforts and progress.
This helped to boost funds and resulted in offers of support from local traders who provided materials at cost and free labour.
Works were completed in 2022, and the new facility opened in 2023. The club’s facilities now include a commercial kitchen, a new lounge area with a capacity for 100 people, a large outdoor patio area, and refurbished changing rooms.
The facility is now the heart of the club; it provides a safe space to congregate for parents, families, spectators and volunteers and is used to host post-game refreshments, club activities and socials. It’s also used by the wider community for events.
The club have also created a garden area, which has become a base for local charities that help people recovering from cancer, stroke, heart disease and mental health issues.
The cost of running the facility is covered by income generated from events and the sale of refreshments, with any profit reinvested back into the club, ensuring all facilities are maintained to a high standard.
The club believe their new facilities have helped them attract new people. The girls' rugby section has grown from one team to seven, with more than 100 members. They’ve also added a football section with 11 teams and run free multi-sport activities for 4-6-year-olds every Saturday, with an average of 150 attendees.
Brian shared some top tips for other organisations thinking of developing or enhancing their facilities:
"Finally, enjoy it. It's demanding and stressful at times but when you stand back and see the finished project, with so many people enjoying what you have provided, it’s so worthwhile. Be proud and don’t forget your part: without you it may never have happened."
For more advice and guidance, have a look at our resource on developing your own facility, which sets out the key areas to consider and wider community benefits that could be achieved.
There is also a useful checklist you can download to help you through the process.