Stockport RUFC pitch sale will fund clubhouse revamp, club says

Bosses at Stockport RUFC say the clubhouse at the Memorial Ground needs improvements

A rugby club has announced plans to sell off one of its pitches to fund a revamp of its clubhouse.

Stockport RUFC has submitted a planning application for improvements to its current facilities at the Memorial Ground in Bramhall, which also includes installing a new artificial pitch.

It said the land being sold was currently used on Sundays as an overspill pitch.

An application has also been put in for 90 homes and a care home on the land.

The club, which plays in the Regional 1 North West league, is in its centenary year, having formed in 1923 as Davenport RUFC before changing to its current name in 1992.

The side won promotion to the fifth tier of English rugby in 2022 and finished in sixth place last season.

Plans show a new 3G pitch being installed at the club and houses being built on the land being sold

A club representative told the Local Democracy Reporting Service its current facilities needed to be upgraded and all its existing pitches had drainage issues, so an artificial one could help reduce the impact on the grass and would be more reliable in bad weather.

They added that the improvements to the clubhouse would include facilities to serve food as well as a first-aid and physio room.

The club has also unveiled a 10-year vision for the site, which includes changing room improvements.

A decision on the applications will be made by Stockport Council at a later date.