It is all systems go at Penrith Rugby Club as they prepare for the start of the 2024-25 season. While the players continue their pre-season training, coaching and fitness regime, the club has received a good spring clean, including a number of general upgrades to clubhouse facilities.
England Rugby is hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2025 and a central theme to the plans will be to deliver a legacy programme in parallel to the tournament for growing the women’s game across the country. It will focus on three key strands — creating capacity through facility development and the recruitment of female coaches and referees; creating a multigenerational legacy through a call to arms for more young girls and university women to play; and for women who did not have the opportunity to play to become fans, and to support development within the home unions.
The legacy programme will see facility standards improved to enhance the experiences women and girls have in hundreds of clubs. Through investment, the programme will modernise toilet facilities, upgrade changing rooms and develop social spaces in clubs across the country.
With almost 100 women and girls playing at Penrith, the club has been selected to receive grants from the RFU to enable various improvements to take place throughout the clubhouse.
The RFU funds have been supplemented by a grant from Westmorland and Furness Council via its Active Cumbria project, and this has enabled a full schedule of upgrading to take place to all the toilet facilities throughout the club and changing rooms. The work was carried out by Quattro Contracting (Penrith) Ltd, Atkinsons Building Contractors, Sissons Decorators and Bryan Armstrong Electrical Contractor.
Those using the club on matchdays or socially will see overall improvements to the main social area which has had a total revamp of tables and chairs, soft furnishings, flooring, lighting, the bar and general decoration. Again, the RFU has supported this in the form of a grant.
Contractors directly involved in these improvements are Bowmans Carpets, AST Signs, Seagrave and Dixon, Sissons and Bryan Armstrong.
A club spokesperson said: “This is the first major refit within the clubhouse since it was opened in 1997 and was very timely. Female rugby is growing in popularity and the improvements will certainly make the environment much more attractive and welcoming to women and girl members and any female visitors to the club.
“We always try to use local businesses wherever we can and we are very grateful for the input, support and sponsorship from those involved in this project. If there are any women or girls who would like to take up this growing section of our club then please contact Sara Dench, team manager of Penrith Panthers at saradench@yahoo.co.uk.”
