ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate and former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe has joined forces to help Hellenic League club Bishops Cleeve convert their Kayte Lane ground into a modern community sports hub.
The Gloucestershire club have embarked on a £771,000 project to install a 3G artificial pitch and improve the car park and lighting with several local community organisations already having agreed to use the facilities.
The bulk of the funding has come from grant aid, but to complete the work, the club now needs to find £90,000, and as a first step has launched a crowding appeal for £20,000.
To promote the latest fundraising drive, Sharpe has presented a promotional online video message.
Southgate has donated a signed England shirt and a copy of his book Anything Is Possible for Cleeve’s community prize draw.
Club chairman Dave Walker said: “The pitch is currently blighted by drainage issues and is generally unplayable for a large part of the winter, preventing us from using it for youth football and wider community activities.
“The current situation has been a major setback for our plans to develop a modern community sports hub for everyone in our local area but there’s a funding gap to complete the project, and we’re hoping to raise as much as we can through this initiative.”
Sharpe, who won eight England caps, has agreed to attend the club’s annual presentation evening. He said: “I’ve visited Bishop’s Cleeve FC on many occasions and I’m always surprised how hard the volunteers work to provide sport for the local community.”
Southgate agreed to help after one of the club’s youth coaches had the opportunity to speak to him.
