Fundraising appeal to help redevelop well-used sporting facility in Rothwell

A fundraising appeal has been launched to help redevelop a well-used sporting facility in Rothwell.

Montsaye Community Sports Centre is a sporting facility in Rothwell that has a community use footfall in excess of 120,000 annually.

In 2005, Lottery funding enabled a complete redevelopment of the facilities there including the all-weather pitch (AWP) which has been enjoyed by the community for almost 20 years.

The astro turf is now at the end of its lifespan and is in need of repair.

A spokesman for the fundraiser said: “We have an incredible opportunity to get the whole facility redeveloped with the support of the Football Foundation and Northants Football Association however, we need to raise another £45,000 as soon as we can to fill the shortfall so that support can be confirmed.

"The facilities are still in use and are currently safe to use but are no longer able to host Football Association accredited matches due to the significant undulations that have developed in the base beneath the carpet.

"The carpet itself has had multiple repair works over the years and the fibres are flattened and no longer provide the support to users that they should and it is beyond its intended shelf life.

"The redevelopment of the entire facility would provide guaranteed facilities and use for the next 25 years as the new base will be an engineered version and not subject to damage caused by use.

"Modern carpets have extended lifespans and the technology has moved on significantly providing better support and experience for users.

"The redevelopment will also re-design the pitch layout to enable more users to use the space at the same time.

"Also included in the works is the removal of the old floodlights and these being replaced with LED versions which would significantly reduce the operational costs for the centre.

"We are very concerned that if we do not find the shortfall in funding needed to progress these works soon, we may lose the support from the Football Foundation and Football Association which would in all likelihood mean, that in the very near future we lose the facility all together.”

If you would like to support the fundraising appeal, go to https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sports-centre.