Diamonds bid for main stand grant

The Step 3 side is preparing to pitch against five other clubs for a share of Buildbase’s £100,000 Transfer Deal 2019, a renovation programme for clubs playing in the Buildbase FA Trophy or Buildbase FA Vase competitions.

Two winning clubs will each walk away with a £25,000 product bursary, which includes building, electrical and hire materials to renovate their clubs.

Diamonds are hoping to recommission the original stand at the home they share with Rushden & Higham United as well as improving facilities for their male, female, multi-disability and over 50s teams.

Club chairman Ralph Burditt said: “With the ongoing project to bring the main stand at Hayden Road back into use, we are extremely proud to be in the final and are looking forward to sharing our proposals with the judging panel.”

The club will pitch their plans to a panel of judges at Wembley Stadium on February 21.

They are up against Long Eaton United FC and AFC Portchester from the Buildbase FA Vase plus Felixstowe and Walton Utd and Tadcaster Albion FC from the Buildbase FA Trophy.

Local Buildbase branches across England and Wales will be supporting the clubs with information, advice and supplying the building products required for their projects.

Paul Roche, managing director of Buildbase, said: “Our £100k Transfer Deal is hugely competitive so the six clubs have done brilliantly to get this far.

“At pitch day we’ll be looking for the clubs that demonstrate incredible passion for making their facilities fantastic for the fans as well as their local communities.”

The Buildbase renovation programme has been running since the builders’ merchant became the title sponsor of the FA Trophy and Vase in 2016.

So far, building materials worth up to £200,000 have been given away.

Previous winners include Hanwell Town, Cleethorpes Town, Cheadle Town and Needham Market.

The £100k Transfer Deal 2019 will reopen for applications in May, when a further £50,000 product bursary will be available.