Training outside on the pitch for the Juniors at Marlborough Rugby Football Club stops when it gets dark, or has done up until now. Thanks to a generous Community Youth Grant from the Marlborough Area Board, the Club has been able to purchase portable floodlights to enable training to continue later during the dark winter months.
No generators, no noise and no permanent presence. The new lights have a low-environmental impact because they are simple to put up and take down for each session and run off rechargeable battery packs so there are no noisy, smoky generators to contend with.
Marlborough RFC Under 14s were the first to test the lights and proclaimed them a complete success. U14s Coach, Stuart Mills commented, “these are great. They provide us flexibility to train when it suits us to maximise the opportunity available to the lads to get out and play some rugby”. The grant paid for four floodlights which provides coverage for over quarter of the pitch – enough for an age-group training session.
Marlborough RFC are hugely grateful to the Area Board and hope to secure the funding for four more lights in the future to fully expand the facilities available to its Junior contingent of almost 300 players. For any youngsters interested in playing rugby, Marlborough RFC have age groups ranging from under 6 to under 18 and for further details contact the Youth Chairman at: youthchairman@mrfc.co.uk.