Sandal Cricket Club: Thriving Yorkshire community cricket club set to expand facilities

Sandal Cricket Club has applied to build new changing rooms for male and female players at its ground on Barnsley Road, Wakefield.

The club, which was established in 1874, was recently classified by the government as a community amateur sports club (CASC).

A planning application has been submitted to Wakefield Council to carry out the upgrade to keep pace with the growing number of young cricketers joining the club.

The club has senior teams playing in the Bradford Premier League and has junior players from aged 6 and upwards participating in cricket and outdoor activities.

A statement by club chairman Ian Shuttleworth said: “The club has been a cornerstone of the local community for over 150 years. All functions of the club are carried out by volunteers, indeed we consider ourselves to be a community club, run by the community for the community.

“We make great efforts to provide the opportunity for individuals regardless of ability, age or gender to participate in cricket. We have a safeguarding policy and actively encourage inclusivity.

“Over the past 10 years or so, the club has progressed rapidly and we have been especially successful in growing the junior section of the club. We currently have around 40 participating junior members and our facilities are being stretched.”

The current clubhouse was built by volunteers in 2006 after fundraising by members to replace a wooden shack that was destroyed by fire.

Mr Shuttleworth added: “Our current clubhouse facility is stretched beyond its limits and is restricting any potential future growth, in particular our ability to recruit any more junior and female members. We therefore took the decision to prepare plans to increase both the size and quality of our changing facilities.”

The proposed changing facility includes a safe changing area for girls participating in mixed junior teams and disabled toilet facilities.

A previous application to fell trees at the ground to make way for more facilities was refused by council planners last year. Mr Shuttleworth said the current application had the support of local councillors for the area.

He said: “We do however need the proposed new changing facilities to be able to meet the fast approaching requirement to provide adequate provision for women’s and girls cricket. We are also keen to avoid any impact on the local environment.

“We believe that the proposed location/structure of the new changing room block would not require any trees to be removed or disturbed. Our sole motivation is to develop our facilities for the benefit of the local community and to encourage active participation in sport by young people of both genders.”