Nantwich Town bosses have unveiled an ambitious fund-raising project to raise £750,000 to buy two new 3G state-of-the-art football pitches at its Swansway Stadium.
The scheme includes replacing the first team grass pitch with a 3G all-weather one, as well as replacing the current 3G training pitch and the surrounding fencing.
And the club hopes to raise the funds by offering a share scheme to fans, residents and businesses who can own a small part of this popular semi-professional club.
Club directors believe the idea is a “game changer” for the club and the community as it will allow them to double the number of youth and other teams who can use first class facilities.
And it will allow private hire of pitches, pursue its plan for a Nantwich Town Academy with Malbank School, and ensure first team games do not fall foul to harsh winter/weather conditions with postponements.
The club currently has 46 teams in total using its facilities, from first team and Ladies team, to youth teams, disability teams and more.
The new pitches would allow them to increase that number to 80-100 teams.
A club spokesperson said: “Changing the main grass pitch to a 3G facility means there is no need to protect the grass pitch from overuse and churning.
“It could be used seven days a week and also makes first team postponements a lot less likely.
“In short having two 3G pitches is a real game changer in terms of increasing playing capacity significantly.
“We believe this is a compelling proposition and will put Nantwich Town even more firmly on the map.”
The club has so far had positive feedback from the FA and other parties and is offering Nantwich Town Independent Supporters Association (NTISA) a chance to invest on behalf of its members.
The £750,000 to be raised would be split between 25% equity and 75% loan, which means the club would be owned by a number of shareholders, maintaining the “community interest” ethos.
To buy into the scheme, a minimum £5,000 investment is proposed. Of that, 75% would be repayable over eight years, and 25% would be an investment in shares in the club.
The club is also hoping to raise an additional £200,000 from grants or funding from third parties.
Anyone interested and wants more information, email [email protected] or call 07931 439 368.
See video below as club chairman Jon Gold launches the scheme:
There were objections to planning on the new pitches and it appeared they had not provided sufficient justification to gain permission. Has this been resolved? It’s a lot to to spend if it’s not supported by the club’s own professional body who were one if the objections if I recall correctly.