Melrose pitch for glory

Published 16 Mar 2010 13:55 0 Comments

GRIT, hard work and determination may lie at the heart of Melrose's home success this season, but the Greenyards pitch could well have its part to play.

The Borders club were beneficiaries of the Scottish Hydro Club Facilities Fund which contributed £2000 towards their new pitch drainage system.

The Fund, supported by Scottish Rugby and Scottish Hydro, national sponsors of Scottish community rugby, has allocated £60,000 to the new Scottish Hydro Club Facilities Fund, which offers rugby clubs up to £2000 matched-grant funding to finance their own club improvements.

Melrose President and Director of Rugby, Mike Dalgetty, thinks the new system will help to ensure a good playing surface for years to come:

"Melrose Rugby Club are delighted to have received this support from the Scottish Hydro facilities fund. The quality of our playing surface is such an important factor in our desire to offer first class facilities to our players."

The fund, which was made available to any club with a maintenance or improvement project, has supported all levels of upgrade from repairs to spectator areas, to new drainage systems and shower blocks.

Melrose aren't the only Borders club to benefit - Gala, Kelso and Hawick have all used the fund to improve their clubhouse facilities, while Peebles put the grant towards a new pavilion roof and Earlston opted to enhance their pitch drainage.

Brian Renwick, Scottish Rugby's regional development manager for the Borders, thinks the scheme is crucial to the burgeoning club game:

"The number of people playing the game is growing year on year and Scottish Rugby recognises that, in order to fully support the increased number of players, we must look at ways in which we can offer more assistance to clubs."

"To continually attract and retain players and supporters, club facilities must be at their best, making the club environment more appealing to all - whether it's a lick of paint in the changing rooms or renovated club rooms for match-day hospitality."

Scottish Hydro's Sponsorship Manager, Douglas Flowers, said: "We want to ensure that our investment in the club game makes a real difference. The Scottish Hydro Facilities Fund will help to improve club standards across the country, leaving a lasting legacy for many years to come.

"This scheme will complement other initiatives such as our Kit for Development Scheme which offer tangible support to clubs benefiting thousands of players across Scotland."

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