Unfortunately not! ☹  Not yet anyway.  The project to develop the new clubhouse was first kick-started in the early 2000’s.  Even back then it was obvious that the club’s current Chester Road clubhouse was beyond economical repair and the club would need to relocate in order to secure a new home.  At that point the club had been run independently for approximately 15 years, since BICC management at the then Helsby factory decided to sever the ties of it’s Sports & Social Club and hand over control to a volunteer committee. 

The club has survived through a difficult period and that’s in no small part to the dedication and support of its members.  As the new clubhouse project began to take shape, ambitious plans were produced to incorporate a sports hall and a gym, however, over the next decade as financing of the project progressed it became clear that the build would need to be phased.  As a result, the current phase of works has prioritised the needs of the club’s long-standing members and the sports hall and gym plans will be progressed as part of the next phase, once further funding has been secured.  

Unfortunately that’s also a no! ☹  As much as there has been much debate in Frodsham and Helsby for decades calling for a swimming pool, as per above, the club’s initial priority has been to cater for its traditional members.  Besides the club steward, bar staff and cleaning staff, HCSC is run entirely by volunteers.  Making the transition from our current clubhouse to a modern, state-of-the-art facility will require significant change and by hiring facilities such as the new 3G pitch, the two new bowling greens and the clubhouse meeting room and function rooms, it will enable the club to make a gradual transition to running a more commercial operation. 

Looking to the future, developing the activities that we can cater for – whether that’s a sports hall, gym, swimming pool or something completely different – will become a question for a new body of volunteers.  By building the new club on solid foundations though, it is hoped that the next phase of the project can be carried out off the back of a much stronger, commercial operation than the current project team have been able to rely on.

The old club was home to football, rugby, running, tennis, bowls and fishing sections, along with snooker and darts team.  All of these will be provided at the new facility (except sadly, for fishing where we are currently in discussions about a new location – the old fishing ponds having had to be sacrificed to make way for the new 3G football pitch and bowling greens are located!).  We are also hoping, however, that new sports will evolve at the new facility – a netball court is to be marked out on one of the new tennis courts and different sports can be catered for on the new 3G pitch (a shock-pad is being fitted for instance to enable it to be used for full contact rugby training to take place, for instance). 

With a new 3G pitch, 2 x artificial bowling greens, 4 x tennis courts and the clubhouse itself offering three  bars/function rooms, a snooker lounge and a meeting  room available for hire, we hope to be able to offer something for everyone – all in a state-of-the-art building. The rugby pitches are the same, tucked in behind Tesco, although much closer to the HCSC hub for changing and after match facilities. The 3G, bowls and tennis courts are all floodlit and useable throughout the whole of the year, the 3G and bowls surfaces are playable in all weathers except possibly for snow and ice!    

HCSC provides assurances that the community facilities are accessible for community use and we agree to make these facilities available outside of when the facilities are required by the individual member sporting sections. This includes both the sporting facilities and hire of the club’s function rooms. HCSC is a sports club, built to encourage sport participation and involvement to members and non-members from the local area.  You can join as a Social/Community (without sport) Member or as a Sporting Section Member which also comes with affiliation to that sporting body and many club training/matches, club activities, events and functions etc.

HCSC is registered as a CASC (Community Associated Sports Club). As such we have a requirement that 50% of our turnover comes from members, so we would appreciate that regular community users consider joining Helsby Community Sports Club as a Social/Community or Sporting Member. Why would you not?  We are a great bunch with amazing facilities and lots to offer you!

The Helsby Community Sports Club has been designed with high regard for community access and availability and is committed to supporting and enriching the lives of those from the local community. As such letting of the facility is constantly reviewed to ensure that it meets the needs of the local community in terms of the cost, quality and variety of activity.

Note all the money raised from the hiring of the facilities, the bar and functions is ploughed back into the provision of sport at HCSC. From time to time we plan to have extra fund-raising events (open days, fireworks, beer festivals, theme evenings etc.) again to raise funds for extra facilities at the club both external and internal. It really is a community and sport affair! 

• Adult (aged between 23 & 64 inclusive on 1/4/20) – 1 year £20, 3 years  £50
• Concession (aged between 18 & 22 inclusive or 65 and over on 1/4/20) – 1 year £15, 3 years £40
• Couple & Family (all members must reside at the same address. Maximum of 2 adult members per family and can include children or students (concession rate up to age 22)  – 1 year £30
• Single Parent Family (All members must reside at the same address Maximum of 1 adult member per family and includes children or students (concession rate up to age 22– 1 year £30

The state-of-the-art facility has been designed with wheel chair access in mind. All the entrance gates to the sports facilities have ramps and gates wide enough for access. We would welcome disability sports to take off and be a part of sports at HCSC – our resident rugby club in particular are keen to support the provision of a sports hall during the next phase of construction so that they can seek to establish a wheelchair rugby team.  The lower floor of the HCSC clubhouse contains sports and changing facilities and showers, both communal and individual with an accessible toilet. There is also a lift to the upper floor (suitable for wheelchairs), and upstairs there are communal male and female toilets with a separate accessible toilet.

The club has two car parks. The larger located on the sports club entrance side with 51 spaces of which 4 area disabled with room for 1 coach. The other car park located at the far side of the sports club, close to the bowling greens, has 50 spaces of which 3 are disabled.

• 1 x 3G Football Pitch – 100 x 64m (available to hire as a full pitch or half-pitch)
• 2 x 3G Crown Bowling Greens – 37 x 37m
• 4 x Tennis Courts – 23.8m x 11.0m

• Function Room – 82m3 – seats 64
• Sports Bar – 74m3 – seats 40 (which has a movable partition with the above to make a function room of 156m3 – seating 112).
• Sports & Social Bar – 64.37m3, general use throughout, not for hire)
• Snooker Room – 91.28m3- 2 full size tables

• Monday – Friday 16:00 to 22:30.
• Saturday & Sunday 9:00 to 22:30.

• Monday – Friday 16:00 to 23:00.
• Saturday & Sunday 12:00 – 23:00.
• Public Holidays except Christmas Day 16.00 – 23.00.
• Christmas day closed

• Peak times 16.00-23.00 winter weekdays and all day winter weekends ( Sept – Mid May)

• Off Peak Mid May – End August all bookings
• September to Mid May 10.00- 16.00 weekdays (excluding school holidays).

• Non-Member prices for full pitch £95
• Non-Member prices for half pitch £50
• Club Member prices for full pitch £85
• Club Member prices for half pitch £45

• Non-Member prices for full pitch £65
• Non-Member prices for half pitch £35
• Club Member prices for full pitch £55
• Club Member prices for half pitch £30

Our online booking system is currently being developed. If you require more information, would like a chat with us about our facilities and potential use and bookings please call 07936 306066 or email info@helsbysports.co.uk

The building contractors in mid-August gave us a completion/handover date of 4 December 2020 for both the outdoor and indoor facilities. We are working towards this date and a lot of work is going on in the background in preparation for our move.  Things should happen very quickly as the developers would like us out of the old club as soon as the new club becomes available. It will take us a little while to move, install and test our internals, e.g. electricity, plumbing, till system, bar, Covid safeguards, etc. But we hope to be up and running by the end of the year, early 2021. What a way to start 2021, Covid permitting!

The old club closed at the start of Covid restriction at the end of March 2020 and sadly has not re-opened since.  Under the regulation of each individual sporting body some sports have started up in Covid-limited ways. Some on a social basis, Football matches have just started albeit the FA advice is to turn up dressed to play and leave afterwards going home to shower. Rugby training but no matches are allowed at the moment and the same is similar for tennis.  Running has been restricted to groups of six and it’s just been raised to twelve, however we feel running in groups of twelve locally is not fair on residents so intend keeping to six.

With regard to the clubhouse itself, we recognise that many local residents and long-standing members will want to say farewell to the current site before it closes for good, so we are watching the Covid situation closely and constantly considering our options.  Our priority, however, is the safety of our members and customers and we have to base any decision considering also our long-term future.

We are a volunteer-run organisation aiming to promote sport, leisure and recreation activities for the residents of our surrounding rural area.  If you have any interest in becoming more actively involved in YOUR local community, then please get in touch by emailing volunteering@helsbysports.co.uk

Whatever you can offer, we can accommodate you!

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