Gresham’s has helped nurture and develop a great number of rugby and hockey players in its history – it has a very proud association with both sports. A recent success story is, of course, that of both Tom and Ben Youngs (Tallis 2003 & 2005). Elsewhere, Ella Gill (Oakeley 2020) has gone on to play for Norwich City Hockey Club; Flip Wijsman (Woodlands 2019) played for Bloemendaal, Almere and Den Bosch in the Netherlands, as well as the country’s U18 team. Richard Leman (Tallis 1977) won a Gold Medal for the GB Hockey Team in 1988; whilst Andy Mulligan captained the British and Irish Lions in 1955. Rugby and hockey are staples of the Gresham’s sporting experience, and the School has always aimed to provide its pupils with a platform to flourish and achieve their very best in both sports.
The School is now embarking upon a capital campaign that will help to transform the sporting and spectator experience for rugby and hockey at Gresham’s: The Eccles Project.
The campaign will help support the building of a state-of-the-art sports changing facility with concourse and viewing area on the Eccles Field. It will sit next to and just beyond the current AstroTurf pitches and will see the 1st XV rugby pitch move alongside it.
The building will provide a much-needed update to what the School has been lacking on the Eccles Field, and for hockey and rugby at Gresham’s in particular, which are changing facilities that reflect the very high standards of sport found throughout the School, as well as offering ours and other schools’ parents the chance to watch both sports in a comfortable and enjoyable setting. It will also be used extensively in the School’s wider community and public benefit programmes, supporting local charities, community centres and state schools.
“Supporting this exciting and much needed project will help to advance both sports; you will be investing in the future of sport at Gresham’s.”
Douglas Robb, Headmaster
The building
The building will consist of eight changing rooms on the ground floor (floor plans below) and a multi-purpose concourse/function room on the first floor with kitchen and store room. There are two terraces, one on the north and the other on the south side of the building, allowing spectators to watch rugby on the Eccles field and hockey and other sports on the two Astro Turf pitches.
The cost and fundraising target
- The cost of the building is approximately £2.1million
- The fundraising target for the campaign is an ambitious £1m; the School is committing a large portion of its capital project budget over the coming years towards the project (which will cover the remaining £1.1million of funding required).
- The School has already received support from a number of very generous donors and is seeking further support for the project over the course of the coming academic years.
Donations received to date (as of 29th March 2022): £125,000
Recognising your support and naming opportunities
There are a number of ways in which the School wishes to recognise donors’ supporting the campaign. On top of stewardship dinners, being invited to the opening of the building and the first Gresham’s vs Norwich School boys’ rugby and girls’ hockey fixtures, all donors will feature on a donor list on the Gresham’s website and within the OG Magazine, whilst those giving £1,000 or more over the next three years will have their names included on a donor board which will be situated in the concourse area of the building. In addition to this, there will be naming opportunities for those donors who make major contributions to the project. The School very much wants to recognise the generosity of its supporters. The amounts below indicate the value of your donation if Gift Aid can be claimed (applicable to UK taxpayers). All support can be in the form of pledges over three years:
- Pledging £1,000 (£800 plus Gift Aid) will see the donor’s name appear on the runway leading to the building as well as on the donor board within the concourse.
- Pledges totalling £20,000 (£16,000 plus Gift Aid) will name a changing room (two changing rooms have already been named). Perhaps you and your year group would like to collectively support the project and name a changing room?
- A £65,000 pledge (£52,000 plus Gift Aid) will give the donor the opportunity to name one of the two terraces (one terrace has already been named).
- A £100,000 pledge (£80,000 plus Gift Aid) will name the concourse/function room.
- A pledge of £400,000 (£320,000 plus Gift Aid) will give you the naming rights to the building, in perpetuity.
- The School will adhere to any donors who wish to remain anonymous.
How to give
You can give online via our Charities Aid Foundation site.