Community Sports Masterplan, South-West London

Feasibility study to secure investment for a local sports ground

Background

Grist’s Memorial Playing Fields in south-west London are run by a passionate group of volunteers, relying on the goodwill and generosity of club members to get things done. The grounds here are also used by The Tiffin School for games lessons and competitive fixtures.

However, the owners of the grounds faced challenges including ageing and dilapidated changing blocks, insufficient space for teams to change before and after games, the slightest trickle of rain rendering pitches unplayable – and no cash available for improvements.

New leadership within the resident football club saw team numbers jump from two to eight sides, with a further women’s XI and tie-ins with local junior teams for use of the grounds. At the same time, the school expanded its intake, with female pupils introduced for the first time.

Meanwhile, the two existing changing room buildings were deteriorating and the pitches needed urgent landscaping works.

Status
Feasibility study
Approach

We quickly established that solutions proposed previously had not been aligned to a coherent strategy or vision for the site, which had hampered opportunities for funding. Our initial investigations also revealed that there were divergent opinions on how the site should be run and what it should become.

We engaged in a series of workshops with all stakeholders to draw together the ambitions, constraints, challenges and opportunities for the grounds. The land is within a flood zone and has significant transport considerations, in addition to the capacity questions. Compiling these factors into a single digestible report, we produced a feasibility study that projected multiple scenarios for the future of the site, each offering an alternative means of addressing the context.

Outcome

The study was used to apply for funding from numerous bodies, including Sport England and the FA, and has already delivered over £100,000 of investment at the site. The grounds have since benefitted from new land drains and maintenance equipment, as well as new goalposts and short-term building improvement works.

We are delighted and proud that our work has now become the basis of a new strategy that will lead to the eventual replacement of the pavilions and sustainable long-term growth at the site.