A planning group was established, under the stewardship of Vic Brownett, which reported progress to the management committee monthly. The planning group members had clear-cut responsibilities.

Vic Brownett and Ian McClean developed the funding plan

David Dooley and Arthur Winfield conducted the consultation process with the club’s sports development network as well as researching potential local community needs.

Frank Stamper and Steve Cockayne were concerned with the design of the facility including liaison with the consulting architect and building project manager

Ken Lawton brought his financial expertise to bear across the group helping with capital costs and income & expenditure forecasts.

The group decided to undertake some research in the local library to determine the needs of the local community and a consultation process with the club’s local sports development network before commissioning the design and seeking planning permission. It was anticipated the findings of the process would have an impact on the final facility design.

However the group decided to seek an architect and building project manager while the consultation process proceeded.

Mervyn Shipman, Forum Building Design, Survey Design & Project Management, 19 Poplar Road, Breaston, DERBY. DE72 3BH.
Telephone/Fax 01332 875272 – Mobile 07976 205343

At the local library the Erewash Borough Plan was consulted

The local sports network [see below] was identified and consultation forms distributed. The forms were based on the lottery board forms that had to be sent to the Local Authority and in our case the Derbyshire Cricket Board {DCB].
Local Sports Network: Sawley & Long Eaton park Cricket Club

Summary of findings.
Local Community
• Erewash has a stable population with an ethnic population that is considerably below the national average.
• its long-term unemployed and unemployed are near to national averages.
• it is not a deprived area using national deprivation statistics.
• the Local Authority wish to develop women’s cricket in the south of Erewash and enhance West Park where the club are located

Schools
• would like to use the facility for school matches, especially when wet conditions might prevent the preparation of a grass wicket but the match could be played on an artificial pitch.
• would like the club to provide coaching prior to competitions, such as the Primary Schools Kwik Cricket competition.
• would like the club to organise teams of an appropriate strength to play the school teams, aiding their development.
• would like a contact person to help communication and the establishment of a long-term relationship.

Leagues
• to use the venue for matches [e.g. League Representative XI], Finals [e.g. Dawn Collard U12 Trophy] and Semi-finals [e.g. Lord Major of Derby’s Charity Cricket Competitions the O J Jackson and Butterley Cups].
• to provide the venue with equipment to ensure weather affected fixtures are more likely to proceed – such as pitch covers, water roller.
• to have a lockable and private umpire’s room with shower including hot and cold water.
• to have a heated scorers room with electronic or mechanical numbering.
• the Long Eaton Cricket Association [LECA] would like to use the enhanced venue as their headquarters for management meetings, member club gatherings and presentation events.
• the Erewash Young Cricketers’ League [EYCL] would also like to use the enhanced venue as their headquarters for management meetings, member club meetings and presentation evenings.

Membership
seniors- playing members, coaches, associated members
• a significant number of senior players would like to receive regular good quality coaching
• many senior players commented that the current facility has remained the same for nearly twenty years. They appreciate that it needs modernising and they also recognise that people expectations about facilities has also grown more sophisticated over the years
• many members would like to see more ‘home-grown’ players in our 1st XI.
• members want lockable and heated dressing rooms that have a view of play with a minimum floor area of 100 sq.ft. [as per Premier League recommended sizes].
• members requested separate team showers adjacent to dressing rooms, refurbished toilets with hand driers.
• members expressed a preference for an enlarged and refurbished kitchen with more general storage space for equipment.
• members would like to see the club eliminate its indebtedness and have a small surplus in the bank of around £2,500.

Juniors – members, coaches and parents.
• many responses commented that the junior section is held in high regard by the club’s sports network. It is considered to be an inclusive club providing opportunities for all
• the section’s current operating principles of all year round practice, introducing hardball cricket as soon as possible and the use of well qualified and experienced coaches was endorsed by players, coaches and parents.
• parents expressed a desire to have all players involved in competitive matches – they neither like rotation or squad systems. They also want to have a fuller and longer season which does not terminate with the start of the summer school holidays.
• coaches want to see a better structure for junior players to progress into senior cricket. While the re-introduction of U17 cricket is a step in the right direction – some see the present standard of the 3rd XIs as too big a step to make especially as younger players will soon want to taste senior cricket.
• the club needs a room for junior events – especially useful when running the club coaching weeks, traditionally organised in conjunction with Erewash Borough Council
• the club needs dressing rooms that accommodate two teams each. Allowing two games to be staged simultaneously or conversely one for boys and one for girls.
• the club should apply for the Sport England ‘club mark’ and ECB accreditation as a third party endorsement of its status.

Partners
• many respondents commented on the strong, experienced and dedicated management team. Although some commented that the management structure might have to change to cope with growth in terms of members, teams, fixtures and social activities.
• both the DCB and the ECDG wanted the club to help in the establishment of women’s cricket centre of excellence in South Erewash
• the DCB wanted a venue for Derbyshire junior representative matches
• the Erewash District Coach and the ECDG require a venue for the increasing number of district cricket matches as the concept spreads through Derbyshire. Erewash is a leading district in this DCB initiative. The ECDG therefore indicated they would endorse the enhancement of the facility in their submission to Erewash Borough Council’s facilities plan.
• both the Erewash Cricket Development Group [ECDG], the Long Eaton Cricket Association [LECA] and the Erewash Young Cricketers League [EYCL] would use the venue as their meeting centre.
• Erewash Borough Council’s Sports Development Officer would like the club to continue with its summer community coaching programme.
• Erewash Borough Council accepted that it would make a contribution to their plans to enhance West Park.

Other local cricket clubs
• the management team of Sawley & Long Eaton Women’s Cricket Club were genuinely very excited about the ability of the enhanced venue to attract new members. They see it as a key ingredient in establishing Sawley & Long Eaton Park Women’s Cricket Club as a centre of excellence for women’s and girl’s cricket in South Erewash and South-East Derbyshire.
• Long Eaton CC welcomes the development as they believe it will raise the profile of cricket [a] as a sport, [b] as a way of keeping fit and [c] of volunteering as a way of contributing to a vibrant local community.