New Land Update - 'The Covenham Grounds'

Update 17 November

Following the communication to you on the 14/15 October, this note is to give you an update on progress of the ground development at our new land to the rear of the Fairmile pub.

Firstly, however, it seems appropriate to announce the new name.

The New Land Naming Competition launched on the 15^th October, has been a great success with a total of 61 nominations from all age groups and sections of the Cobham Sports Association. Our thanks to all those who joined in and contributed suggestions with such great creativity and enthusiasm.

The board of the CSA reviewed every offering and has now selected the name for our new grounds which is …. <<drum roll>>

THE COVENHAM GROUNDS

(Note: The word Covenham comes from the fact that Cobham appears in the Domesday Book as Covenham so there is a rich heritage around the name)

The winning suggestion came from Sion & Ben Gibby in the Cobham Rugby Club Under 5s so £25 will be awarded to them courtesy of the Braemar Club. It is our hope that all members will feel that this touch of the ancient past has a strong place in our clubs exciting future.

Secondly, we saw a promising start on the development of the ground with the weed killing and vermin removal and then the ground levelling taking place. However, a sustained period of wet weather has meant that progress has halted for the time being and it is now not likely that much more work will be able to take place this side of January, so the next stages of de-stoning, soil improvement and then seeding will probably take place in early spring.

But there is plenty to do in the meantime with work on the irrigation system being the next big project. The CSA has a strong bid to the RFU for funding to assist with the irrigation project and there will be another update as soon as we have any news. Keep your fingers crossed.

Finally, you will find the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions, but if you have a question that is not answered here, please don’t hesitate to contact me or any one of the CSA Committee to discuss further.

Thanks for your ongoing support

Steve Robinson

CSA Land Committee

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What facilities will be available at the new grounds?

There will be a building with running water and toilet facilities only. Our aim is to keep the Peter Marsh Pavilion as the hub of the club operation as it is now.

Our lease agreement is for the grounds and the golf driving range bays (which obviously we won’t use) but we will benefit from the driving range floodlighting near the bays (once they have been refurbished) for mid-week evening training.

Where will we park?

There is NO parking available to us at the Fairmile Pub and therefore members should continue to park in Munro House or the club car park when appropriate. Also, the only changing room facilities will be at The Club.

Should we use the Fairmile Pub?

Whilst there is no issue with having a drink at the Fairmile pub, we hope that the great bar atmosphere and excellent food offered at the Club will continue to draw members in allowing the Club to continue to thrive.

The plan on the website shows three pitches – is that what will happen?

The provisional plan is for 3 sports pitches, but this may change if we find that the land can accommodate more. We will update you as this becomes clearer.

When will we be using the new grounds?

This is dependant on a number of factors - some within our control, but many outside of our remit, especially the weather. However, we are anticipating that, if all goes well, we should have pitches available for play during the 2012/2013 season.

Who will decide on the use of the new pitches?

Strategically, this will be managed by the CSA in association with the various sections.

At a tactical level, Suzanne Whealing currently takes responsibility for managing the use of the existing grounds and has kindly offered to take on the management of the additional grounds.

Who will be using the new grounds?

This is not yet finalised but the provisional plan is:

·        Seniors Rugby Training

·        Youth Rugby Training and Matches

·        U11 & U12 Rugby Training and Matches

·        Lacrosse Training and Matches

·        Extended Minis Tournaments

       … but, again, this is subject to change 

In addition, one of the opportunities that the Rugby Club are anticipating is the introduction of Women’s Rugby to Cobham. Our current aim is to always have the younger club members on the main site.

What about crossing the Portsmouth Road?

Safety is and always has been top of the club’s agenda. We have undertaken a risk assessment on this with our Health & Safety Officer, Dick Frost, and we are developing plans of how best to control the safe crossing of the road. A team is now investigating the options here and there will be further communication on this topic in the near future.

What will we be calling the new pitches?

The Covenham Grounds

What can I do to help?

There will be many opportunities for you and your family to be involved in this development.

If you would like to offer your assistance, in any capacity, please send an email to newland@cobhamsports.com or discuss your contribution with any member of the CSA Committee

------------------------------------------------------------

Update 8th November

The grounds contractor has completed the initial ground prep works in most areas ie. treating existing grass sward, removing existing scrub vegetation and waste, leveling the earth mounds and re-grading the soils (which you can see in the photos below). Unfortunately the wet weather has so far prevented any other groundworks, including the stone picking, final re-grading and autumn seeding.

Construction is, however, underway on the irrigation system.

So, for the moment, let’s just hope for some more dry weather.

______________________________________________________________________

As you know from the communication sent out recently by Cobham Sports Association (CSA) Chairman, Andy Harburn, the CSA has acquired a long lease on the 10 acre derelict golf driving range to the rear of the Fairmile pub with the intention of doubling our current playing fields. 

This is a massive undertaking for our organisation and it is very important to us that, as a club member, you are kept informed of these developments as they progress.

So, first two pieces of great news for you:

First, we have now had it confirmed that the CSA has been awarded a £50,000 grant by Sport England. This is the public body tasked with growing the number of people playing sport by working with national governing bodies of sport . To have been given this award is a fantastic achievement and we are very grateful to Sport England for their continued support of the club. 
In rough terms, it will cost us approximately £120,000 to turn the derelict golf driving range into first class sports fields and this grant takes us a long way towards achieving this objective. 

We already have a substantial additional commitment from the Trustees of the Peter Marsh Trust Fund, and for their ongoing support we are exceptionally grateful.

Secondly, with the funding now in place, our grounds contractors Agripower started work on Wednesday 12th October and it is anticipated that the majority of the heavy work will be concluded by the end of November, subject to the weather.

It has been a busy few months trying to get meters installed, fences repaired, funding sorted. But now the regeneration can finally begin.

There will be a number of stages here, but in simple terms;

- Levelling of land 

- Ground improvement

- Installation of irrigation system

- Only then can seeding, feeding and weeding begin 

The competition to decide on a name for the new grounds is now closed, look out for news of the winning selection soon. 

Our objective is to have the grounds ready for Sports during the 2012/2013 season, but the weather plays a huge part in how fast or slow stages are completed.

However, we will endeavour to give you updates on the progress of the development at appropriate times.

• For the latest on Land Development Click here
• For answers to some Frequently Asked Questions click here

If you have a question that is not answered please don’t hesitate to contact me or any one of the CSA Committee to discuss further. Thanks for your ongoing support

Steve Robinson

CSA Land Committee

email: newland@cobhamsports.com