Mossway is the new Hornets nest

Mossway

Rochdale Hornets have taken the first step in creating a high-quality training and community development base in the Borough - having taken a lease on the Mossway playing field in Middleton.

Already comprising changing rooms, a small car-park and enough space for a full-sized pitch PLUS junior sized/training pitch, the site will be the ideal home for junior training camps, rugby league festivals, Hornets Ladies and for building stronger links with the community game.

It’s also a longer-term plan that Mossway will provide Rochdale Hornets with a top class training base within the boundaries of the Rochdale Borough.

Hornets CEO, Ryan Bradley said: "While this is an exciting step, the growth and success of the project depends on raising sufficient funds to develop facilities on the site. The lease and basic maintenance to bring the pitch to a high quality playing standard will cost £3,500 per year.

"Work to bring bring the facilities up to a higher standard - such as fencing the pitch and the installation of a club house building will cost even more.

"As a fan-owned co-operative, we call on the continued generosity of our members to fund and run our club on a day-to-day basis, and many have already committed as much cash and time as they can, so we had to find a more innovative way of funding this exciting project - which is why we’ve decided to try the CrowdFunding approach.

"Our initial plan is to raise £25,000 which will secure the lease for a longer term and go some way to improving the facilities. Obviously, in an ideal world, we’d love a generous sponsor with deep pockets to pledge the £25,000 that the club needs to develop the Mossway site.

"More realistically, we thought it’d be a fantastic challenge to see if we could get 25,000 to donate a quid. Or maybe get 5,000 people to donate a fiver. Or 2,500 people to donate a tenner -and when you break it down in those terms it suddenly looks more achievable.

"Obviously, if people would like to donate more, we'd welcome that too - but we figured that asking a large number of people to donate a small amount offered our best chance of success."

Whilst Spotland remains the best facility in Kingstone Press League 1 - and for the foreseeable future will remain Hornets’ home stadium - the terms of Hornets' lease limit its use beyond game-day activities, whereas Mossway can be used seven days a week, 12 months a year if required.

Mr Bradley added: "Every penny we raise in this project will be used to enable Rochdale Hornets to secure the fun, passion and excitement of rugby league in our town for the next generation.

"We are in the process of setting up the full CrowdFunder project, including appointing a sub committee, but costs are already coming in so we ask for any donations towards this project be made via PayPal."