A final fundraising push to bring a state of the art all weather 3G football pitch to Swanage in Dorset, has been personally endorsed by former AFC Bournemouth manager Tony Pulis.
Swanage Town and Herston Football Club has just weeks left until the end of October 2026 to secure a further £135,000 to reach its £360,000 fundraising target and submit an application for a major Football Foundation grant.
Swanage Town and Herston FC chair Barry Audley is leading the final fundraising effort for a 3G pitch at Swanage
Crucial to the future of Days Park
The club has already raised around £225,000, but says the outstanding £135,000 will be crucial to the future of football and sport at Days Park – as it has the ability to unlock a £1.2 million project.
At a public meeting in the club’s Days Park stadium on Thursday 10th September 2026, former Premier League manager Tony Pulis joined club officials in backing the appeal.
The proposed full size 3G pitch would provide an all weather playing surface capable of being used throughout the year by the club, schools, community groups and other sporting organisations.
The total project cost is estimated at £1.2 million, with the club hoping a Football Foundation grant could provide 70 per cent of the funding – but to unlock that potential funding, the club must demonstrate that it can raise £360,000 itself by the end of October 2026.
Tony Pulis with Swanage Town and Herston FC treasurer Lizzie Hibberd at Days Park to push for an all weather pitch
“Norman Hayward is a big friend”
Tony Pulis, who began his managerial career at AFC Bournemouth, initially as assistant to Harry Redknapp before taking charge of the club himself, said:
“I have been in football since I was 16 – Norman Hayward, president of Swanage and Herston Town FC, is a big, big friend of mine who gave me my first job in football.
“I have driven over here to endorse this scheme because of my friendship with him and how passionate he is about football here in Swanage.
“I popped into Wimborne before I came here because they have an artificial pitch. I was never in favour of artificial pitches, I always preferred grass, but as time has progressed I’ve realised how important all weather pitches can be.
“Wimborne now has almost 800 players registered and the pitch is used every night and every day when the kids are off school.
“Astroturf has brought the community together and they are now trying to get another pitch now because it has attracted so much revenue as well as giving youngsters a fantastic opportunity to play football.”
Training at Days Park frequently has to be called off because the turf gets waterlogged
“It will be something special”
Tony added:
“I was brought up in South Wales, down the docks, where we used to play in the streets, but the thing from there I have taken with me all my life is the sense of community, the togetherness we had from a young age.
“Having the opportunity to put an all weather pitch in place for your kids and your grandchildren is just so special. I know it comes down to finances, but if you can manage to raise the funds, it will change this football club and this community.
“Community is about people and the generations to come will look at us and see what we have done. If you can put this in place and give them the start you didn’t have when you were younger, it will be something special.”
The meeting at Days Park was well attended – now for the hard work of fundraising
“Our five step ambition”
Barry Audley, chair of Swanage Town and Herston FC, said:
“For the club, it is not just about the scorelines, this is about accessibility. We have flourishing youth teams and expanding girls football and community teams, but we have reached our physical limits due to the cost of outsourcing the facilities to play and train.
“The 3G surface will allow us to open our gates to the whole Purbeck community, and offer a home for training and matches for all ages, genders and capabilities. This simply doesn’t exist in this area at the moment.
“It will also be the foundation of our five step ambition, to give our local talent a professional stage to compete on, and to ensure Swanage Town and Herston FC remains the premier destination for sporting excellence in the region, providing a clear pathway for youth football into the future.
“There are a lot of rich people in the area and hopefully one or more of them will come forward. Tony Pulis is very matey with Harry Rednapp, so you never know!”
A new 3G all weather pitch at Days Park could be the key to Swanage Town and Herston FC’s future
Once in a generation opportunity
Swanage Town and Herston FC treasurer Lizzie Hibberd told the meeting that the project represented a once in a generation opportunity for the town, and said:
“This is a really exciting project that will make a huge difference to this town and to all the people who use the club – our many youth teams, boys and girls, our men’s team, women’s team, walking football teams.
“We are supporting such a wide range of people at this club and really it is about bringing people together.
“But wet winters can result in half of the club’s matches being cancelled, I coach girls’ teams, and too many times I’ve had to watch the look of disappointment on their faces when I have to tell them the pitch is yet again just too wet to play on.
“As our club grows we are literally running out of space, we do not have the space to provide the pitches we need. Over the past five years the club has seen phenomenal growth, with 26 teams ranging from youth squads to walking football groups, and we want to ensure that no one in the Purbeck area is left on the sidelines.”
Swanage Town and Herston FC treasurer Lizzie Hibberd revealed that the club has already raised £225,000 towards its target
“Ambition doesn’t stop on the touchline”
Lizzie added:
“Unfortunately the sports hall and clubhouse is now reaching the end of its life. As a trust, our mission is to develop Days Park into a multi functional sports hub for the whole Purbeck community, including a full sized 3G pitch.
“And our ambition doesn’t stop on the touchline – Phase Two of our plan would introduce a community centre which will be the hub of the health and wellbeing of all Swanage residents, a place for our youth clubs, for social connections and a place to keep our senior citizens active.
“A 3G pitch will be a place where everyone can train throughout the year, providing a top quality facility for us, schools and other groups.
“It could be used by anyone – men, women, boys, girls and other teams from across Purbeck, perhaps even different sports, a centre to promote a sense of togetherness and bring us all together into one space.”
The club has had historic problems with flooding, but an all weather 3G pitch would solve a lot of its problems
Founding 200 Club is planned
Under a four tier fundraising scheme, the club is looking for different levels of supporters, from team supporters who would be prepared to give £250 each, to a principal pitch partner whose investment of at least £30,000 would get pitch naming rights for a decade.
A Founding 200 Club is planned for 200 dedicated Swans supporters whose pledge of £250 or more would get their names engraved on the founders board at the entrance to the ground,
Another 60 pitchside partners are being sought to invest at least £1,000 each to get their company featured on perimeter boards around the new 3G pitch for three years, among other benefits.
If the Football Foundation bid is successful, the club expects to hear the outcome between January and March 2027, with construction potentially beginning as early as May.
That could mean Swanage teams playing competitive matches on the new surface as soon as next season.
Further information
- More details about the appeal are on the club’s Facebook page
- Find out how to become one of the Founding 200 Club
- How businesses can become a Pitchside Partner
