Foundation
Eccles Rugby Football Club has played an active part in its community for well over 126 years, moving to Gorton Street in 1948, when its changing rooms and clubhouse were a pair of WWII maycrete Army huts. Over the years, each generation of club members have developed the facilities they required. A new clubhouse was constructed in 1983 and after 45 years of service, the old huts were demolished to make way for a new changing rooms extension in 1993, with the clubhouse further extended in 2003.
The Covid pandemic was undoubtedly a set back to community sport but the enforced break in activities also provided us with the opportunity to formulate a plan for a resilient, ambitious future for the club.
The last two years has seen Eccles RFC rise and grow to over 500 members and 20 teams. Our pitches are full every weekend, our floodlit 3G training pitch is in use every evening. Plus, our DofE Award programme has earned national recognition, our volunteers have earned RFU recognition and our coaching standards are second to none. Not only are we winning promotions and fielding four successful Men's teams, we are fielding two Women's teams, 14 Junior teams, and have Minis players from under 5 and Walking Rugby players over 75. There are now more families and more girls and Ladies using the club than ever before.
Rugby has changed. Life has changed. Eccles RFC has always brought people together for activities and social occasions. To take the club forward into its future we need to develop our facilities to accommodate our expanding membership and provide a first class, adaptable environment that the whole community can enjoy and can be proud of.
Elevation
Phase 1
The club announced the first phase of its facilities development plans at the AGM last June. The construction of a new entrance extension took place in summer 2023 and was in use by the Eccles Festival in August. Designed by club sponsors MOJO Architecture, the scheme introduced more daylight into the bar area through skylights and glazed bifold doors, opening up onto a patio with an elevated view of the pitch and easier access for wheelchairs and pushchairs. A new illuminated Eccles RFC badge was installed to the bold new face of the club and lighting and planting will be added to the patio this spring.
Phase 2
By summer 2024, with the necessary funding support, we hope to be in a position to progress with the second phase of the project, refurbishing our interior bar social space and improving the ladies toilet facilities.
Phase 3 - THE BIG NEWS
With the support of MOJO Architecture the club submitted a design proposal for a first floor extension above the changing rooms, which, we are delighted to confirm, now has planning approval from the local authority.
The high quality development will create a spacious, vaulted, multi-use function room; flexible to host anything from Saturday match day hospitality, Sunday post rugby grub for 200+ children, weekday fitness classes, meetings, presentations, community gatherings or family occasions. The design features new hospitality facilities, views of the pitch and roof windows to bring in natural daylight.
On the ground floor, the four small changing rooms (5, 6, 7, 8) will be adapted into two new larger changing rooms incorporating self-contained shower areas and toilets. There will also be a new pitch side entrance lobby which will be widened to create a two-storey atrium that links the
existing clubhouse bar to the improved facilites on the first floor with a more spacious and naturally illuminated space and stairs.
On the first floor, a large purpose-built kitchen and combined coffee shop will be created with a better abilty to feed players, vistitors and fans. The mezzanine seating area will be reinstated above the bar, opening up to the balcony though new glazed doors.
To deliver this vision, the player’s gymnasium will be relocated to a purpose built facility, next to the existing all weather pitch, bridging over some the existing shipping containers. We intend the new gym to be a contemporary training and rehabilitation facility with an elevated view over pitch one. The exterior will carry a digital score board and club signage.
As the visualisations illustrate, this development proposal focuses on creating a welcoming environment for all by increasing the natural daylight, increasing accessibility, and enhancing the capacity for members and visitors, both on game days and throughout the week. This, we're sure members will agree, represents an ambitious step forward for our progressive club and its facilities.
Next Steps
Detailed technical drawings will be produced and contractors will be invited to submit tenders this Spring. Exploration of the funding support necessary to deliver this development programme is already underway and we hope to be able to share more details on this before the end of the season.
If you would like any further information on these exciting plans at the club, or if you can provide any support on any aspects of the project, please contact
Chris Gaffey, Chairman, Eccles RFC chrisgaffey@ecclesrfc.org.uk
Greg Wilson, Treasurer, Eccles RFC g_t_wilson@hotmail.com
Sean Monaghan, Architect, MOJO info@mojo-architecture.com www.mojo-architecture.com
