Crowdfunder scores for rugby club

Eccles Rugby Football Club is back in the game thanks to crowdfunding.

The 124 year-old Gorton Street club used Crowdfund Salford after lockdown stopped all fundraising and income generation and raised £20,000 in just 48 hours towards essential maintenance projects.

Following this success they stretched their target to £40,000 for additional ground improvements and smashed it out of the park.

The money will fund facilities works to keep the club growing and provide more opportunities for the local community to be active.

The original target was for car park and security improvements and replacement floodlights. The extra project is to deliver an outdoor covered space to be used for exercise classes, social events and community hire, match day spectating and seated family hospitality.

Crowdfund Salford enables people, organisations and community groups to test local support for their initiative by raising money to win match funding of up to £10,000 from Mayor Dennett. Projects must benefit Salford and support one of the council’s Great Eight priorities to create a fairer, greener and healthier Salford.

Club Chairman Chris Gaffey said: “Eccles RFC is a not for profit community club with more than 300 members and 18 teams of all ages. Crowdfunding has helped us recover from the pandemic to be ready to serve our community again.”

Visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/funds/salford for more information.

Learn how to use Salford Crowdfund in a free, online workshop from 12 noon to 1pm 12-1pm on Wednesday 13 October. Sign up at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crowdfund-salford-live-learn-how-to-crowdfund-tickets-164475433449