The new £750,000 community sports hall at Altrincham FC will open its doors for the first time today.
An open day at the new building will allow anyone to see the new facilities on offer, with general manager Stacey Rowley reporting that interest had so far been “unbelievable” as it builds to an official opening in January.
Activities already confirmed to occupy the hall from the new year are yoga, Timperley ABC Boxing, scouts and cubs, fitness classes, after school clubs, AFC Mini Kickers football, tumbletots, Slimming World, karate and baby massage. Some students from Trafford College will even be having BTEC classes in the hall.
Rowley said: “It’s a community space for the whole community and we want to try and cater for all ages. So we’ve got everything from baby massage all the way up to seniors. Interest so far has been unbelievable and we’ve had loads of enquiries, but there’s still some space available.”
Around £550,000 for the new facility was secured through grants, but the rest has been raised by the community with a wide range of fundraising activities, including sportsman’s dinners, commercial sponsorship and fan donations.
Below: Inside the new sports hall
Although the building is now finished, Rowley said that they were still £63,000 short of the total funding required.
She added: “We just want to try and raise awareness that we are still short on the target even though we are open for business.”
Details on how to donate can be found on the hall’s website. Rowley said that a group of fans had recently put in £100 each to raise £10,000 for a new AV system in the hall.
The facility’s bar – which will act as the football club’s main bar on matchdays – has recently been finished, while Sky television has been installed and two big projector screens fitted. A dividing wall allows the room to be split in half if required.
Today’s open day will last from 11am to 3pm. The facility will be open daily from 9am to 10pm from January.
Details of how to enquire about the hall’s availability can be found here.
Below: Outside the sports hall, and general manager Stacey Rowley (left) and assistant manager Judy Henson by the newly installed bar
