A decade at the cutting edge of soccer progress

Acknowledged as one of the oldest soccer clubs in Clare, Sixmilebridge-based Bridge United is also one of the most progressive.
Less than a decade ago, the club executive made the brave decision that after years of living a nomadic sort of lifestyle to up stumps for the final time, move to a permanent abode and develop their own club grounds.
A central site at Shannon Road was acquired and, on a limited budget and with no grant aid or funding from outside sources, the club developed its own playing and training facilities.
Not content to sit on their laurels, the time has now arrived to move the development on a stage further.
Club PRO Barry Downes explained that, in a two-pronged approach, the club plans to upgrade the playing surface and also to solicit, through an advertising opportunity, any business or individual interested in securing the naming rights of the club grounds.
“When one visits our club, the first thing they will notice is how prominent a location we occupy within the village. However, on closer examination, it becomes quite clear that there are two major inadequacies, which need to be rectified in order for our club to fulfill its obligation to our 400 members and the community in general.
“Those inadequacies are the lack of a permanent clubhouse and durable and sustainable playing pitches. We are hoping that in the coming months, we can address at least one of these inadequacies if successful with our Sports Capital Grant application,” Barry outlined.
He added that following careful consideration by the club committee and in consultation with team managers and players, it was decided the utmost priority is to improve the surface quality of the playing and training pitches.
“When the pitch was originally constructed in 2004-05, it was done so on a very limited budget and with no grant aid or funding. While the gradient of the pitch is favourable to natural run-off of surface water, the pitch has a very limited amount of artificial and purpose-built drains that are essential to enable timely removal of surface rainwater.
“If successful with our application, we envisage moving swiftly on the installation of new drainage systems on both the main pitch and the training pitch,” he explains.
On the offer of the naming right of the club grounds, Barry emphasised that they are hoping to tempt a number of interested parties.
“Sixmilebridge has seen great development in recent years with many new business and housing developments in the village centre and the surrounding areas.
“Our naming rights opportunity offers local and national media and radio exposure through fixtures and results sections as well as advertising through www.bridgeunited.net, Twitter, Facebook and at the grounds,” he added.
In the event of the grant application being unsuccessful, the club will continue to explore all avenues in terms of generating finance. There’s a determination to seek the project through.
“We will be pushing membership of our club lotto and have some other financial generating ideas in the pipeline. In the current economic climate it is difficult to raise money, to keep going back to the same people appealing for funds but we are confident they will respond.
“People see the need for and benefits of playing sport.  In Sixmilebridge, we have a strong sporting community and they’ve never been found wanting in the past.
“After all, the facilities we are providing are in line with the club’s mission statement which is to plan, lead and co-ordinate the sustainable development of competitive and recreational sport in the village,” Barry outlined.