Moseley RFC planning for superior rebuild at Billesley Common
Having invested £500,000 in their current facilities, much of which went on their excellent playing surface, they have £1.2 million of the Section 106 Agreement money left from The Reddings deal. They have also sourced cash related to the changing rooms of around £1 million. They are a considerable amount of the way there.
“There are obviously major challenges ahead,” Adam says.
“We have a superb team of James Jowett and David Aspinall well capable of putting it together but these are difficult economic times, the major challenge will be to raise funds.
“We might be able to cut our expenditure a little with the state of the building industry and there will be more than sporting grants available to us because of the nature of this development with its community benefits.
“But the state of the economy and the Olympics being held in London has pulled a lot of sporting related grants that way, so that they are more scarce.”
One thing in the club’s favour is their relationship with the city council. The local authority are named as the joint applicant and have worked hand in hand with Moseley since they provided Billesley Common as the club’s new home.
A couple of years ago they gave consent to build the All Weather Pitch that has brought considerable benefits to all manner of sporting organisations.
As well as local rivals Birmingham & Solihull and Worcester Warriors, Birmingham City FC and Maypole FC also use the facility. It is evidence of the way the club have worked with BCC and the RFU.
“This should be seen an excellent example of how politicians and officers in a local authority, its planning department and a major sporting institution can work together,” Adam observes.
“This facility would make us self-sufficient rather than needing benefactors to put their hands in the pockets every so often. It would also continue our work at making Billesley Common a centre of excellence for the whole city, something everyone can be proud of.”
The RFU are also on board. Their chief executive Francis Baron has sent one of the several hundred supporting letters and commented:
“The development of the new stand will undoubtedly support the administrative and management base of its [community] operation as well as providing enhanced facilities for schools to participate on site.”
Yet, committee assent is not necessarily the same as Moseley’s continued ascent. If and when it comes there’ll be another, steeper mountain to scale.
>More: Birmingham City Council approves Moseley's plans for Billesley Common
