Football clubhouse reopens after major refurb

Chairman Dave Graddon said the new look clubhouse can be open seven days a week and makes the club more sustainable

A football club in Devon has unveiled its new look clubhouse following a major refurbishment.

Work to renovate Ivybridge Town Football Club's clubhouse was completed after a 12-week project supported by South Hams District Council.

The council said it provided about £250,000 of section 106 money towards the improvements, with a further £100,000 donated by the Football Foundation.

The club's chairman Dave Graddon said the building had "become a bit of an embarrassment" but the works had provided the club with a "top-grade" facility to be "proud of".

The council said it also provided the club with £7,800 to help replace the existing floodlight bulbs with LED ones

The council said the club, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025, has had a complete revamp of its clubhouse, with a new bar, changing rooms facilities and roof - the old one had been badly leaking.

Mr Graddon said; "We are already very much a community club, but this embeds us even further into the fabric of Ivybridge."

He said the club have more than 400 boys and girls in its youth teams, two senior men's sides and a partnership with Marine Academy Plymouth Ladies FC who also play at the ground.

"That's a huge amount of local people benefitting from sport and all the positives it brings," he added.

Councillor Julian Brazil, South Hams executive member for community services, operations and leisure, said he was delighted the council was able to support the club.

He said the project was "exactly what section 106 money" should be for and that the venue would benefit the community and "give them long-lasting facilities they can be proud".

Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is a legally binding agreement and usually involves a council and a developer to ensure a contribution is made towards local infrastructure or services to make a development acceptable in planning terms.