Specify and design clubhouse facilities required
Investigate potential locations close to pitches
Work with Oaklands Management to develop a shared resource; negotiate a long-term lease on clubhouse; re-negotiate long-term lease on pitches and parking
Work with external funding sources
Raise funds internally through various activities.

OAKLANDS POSITION

Funds from current housing development already allocated to replacement and refurbishment of educational facilities.
Plans for a pavilion to replace barn changing rooms.
Strong probability of further housing on site as part of St Albans plan will help fund ambitions to further develop facilities on campus.
These include more sports-related facilities including an Olympic running track as the college increases its long-term focus on sports as a major speciality area.

EXTERNAL FUNDING

Various sources of funding potentially available:

Sport England
National Lottery Community Fund
National Hockey Foundation
Hertfordshire Community Foundation
Sponsors / Partners

- Sport England’s Community Asset Fund is very competitive, with hundreds of applications currently in the pipeline. The maximum grant available to SAHC is £75k, increasing to £150k, if Oaklands College apply
- Most offer matching funds or single grants
- Sport England now require long-term lease (30 yrs+) on funded facilities
- Minimum 3-5 year application time-frame for major funds
- All of these bodies are currently prioritising their funding around Covid19-related support.

It may be possible to partner with Oaklands College to look elsewhere for sources of funding for sports-related facilities which will typically need to support multiple sports activities and have some kind of community focus.

There are many businesses and non-profit organisations which provide contributions towards sports facilities but most of these typically contribute amounts between £500 and £10,000.

Some clubs have been able to access loans at very low interest rates to fund new building works. This appears to be the likely way forward for many sports clubs in future.

INTERNAL FUNDRAISING

General consensus is that the cost would be around £1million for a two-storey clubhouse with changing rooms on the ground floor.
Repeat of some activities used for pitch fundraising.
Get club members and parents involved.

NEXT STEPS/TIMELINES

Outline applications with external sources
Draft specification and design
Agree location and timing with Oaklands and negotiate lease arrangements
Plan internal fundraising
Unlikely to see facility complete until 2025 at earliest.