Following years of expansion and further to the five year development plan, the club has forwarded an application to extend the clubhouse – not outwards but upwards...and downwards.

The plans contain a second level above a large amount of the current footprint of the Clubhouse. This will contain a function room, bar and kitchen - incorporating a balcony for viewing the first team pitch on Doff’s field. Stairs and a lift will be placed where the kit cupboards are at present, and the kit room will be housed upstairs. The function room will be available to hire and thus bring in significant income - Although this may incur some minor staffing costs, we have spoken to other clubs about this and the income stream far outweighs the small outlay.

The other element can be explained quite simply - Post-covid we witnessed a large increase in those using the river for leisure, a major part of this being wild-water swimming. Sadly, as the river condition deteriorates, this has become less of an option, and The Club has jumped on the opportunity and in the now vacated ground floor, we will develop a swimming pool and leisure complex. With sauna and steam rooms replacing the cellar and kitchen areas. There will be a significant investment in the gym – with more mirrors for the players. The Members bar will remain in-situ but a glass wall will replace the fireplace area so that our favourite single gentleman can use the lifeguard certificate he gained from watching Baywatch.

The club feels that this is the way forward to keep us ahead of many junior clubs in terms of facilities and also to attract players in the future. Please raise any comments in writing to the committee or contact them via the usual social media channels using our new profile - @ItIsTheFirstOfTheFourthMonth