PLAYERS and officials of Bedworth United Football Club are taking giant strides both on and off the pitch.
Once perennial strugglers, they are riding high in the Evo Stick Southern League Division One Central with their sights firmly set on promotion.
Work is also set to start this week on two projects costing £90,000 that will transform the facilities at the Oval and secure the future of the Social Club.
They have received a £50,000 grant from Sport England for the stand and another for £40,000 from Biffawards to replace the roof of the Social Club.
United chairman Pete Randle summed up the delight of everyone at the club when he said: “It’s all happening at the Oval.
“Personally, I can’t believing where we are in the league and what is happening off the field.
It’s fantastic to be chairman at a time like this.
“But this has not just happened. Everybody is working hard, including the players, the manager and the directors and everyone else connected with the club and we don’t owe anybody anything.”
The £90,000 windfall for the stand is part of a £315 million lottery-supported programme geared to this year’s Olympic Games and designed to improve facilities at hundreds of clubs throughout the country.
United will spend that grant creating changing rooms beneath the main stand, as well as a manager’s office and dressing rooms for men, women and the disabled.
An area that was used as a cafe and for issuing skating and golf equipment for the Miners Welfare Park will be utilised.
“That inside part of the stand has been empty for years, but we have not been able to do anything about it until now.” said Pete Randle.
His daughter Sue Harrison, a former club chairman, helped them to get the £40,000 to repair the roof of the Social Club.
That money has come from Biffawards, a multi-million pounds fund that helps community project to within ten miles of a landfill site.
Bedworth United Social Club was created from a building that was used by firemen during the SecondWorldWar and the roof is showing the ravages of time.
Pete Randle said: “It has been in a poor state for some time. Parts of it are leaking and it badly needs replacing so we are very grateful to Biffawards and for Sue for the work she did in getting us the grant.”
Work on the underneath of the stand will start tomorrow and the whole project is scheduled to be completed by the end of March.
