The local community has been urged to rally behind a major fundraising campaign to help secure a £1.2 million all weather sports pitch at Swanage Town and Herston Football Club in Dorset.
At the official launch on Wednesday 27th May 2026 at the Con Club, local businesses, organisations, and councillors heard that the club based at Day’s Park in Swanage, needs to urgently raise £360,000 towards a 3G pitch, to unlock a further 70 percent grant from the Football Foundation.
The current pitch at Days Park is frequently too wet to play or train on
Must hit target by October 2026
Club leaders say the proposed all weather facility will be about far more than football, creating year round sporting opportunities while supporting health, wellbeing and community across Swanage and the wider Purbeck area.
But the club will need to reach its target by October 2026 in time for the Swans, Days Park Community Trust and Swanage Town Council to submit a joint application for the big prize, with support from Dorset County Football Association.
A decision will be made by the Football Foundation in January 2027 and if successful, work could begin on putting down a state of the art all weather pitch as early as May 2027.
“So much support locally”
Supporters include South Dorset MP Lloyd Hatton, who represents Swanage and most of Purbeck.
Lloyd Hatton, who recorded a message for the meeting, said:
“I am pleased to be working closely with the fantastic team at Swanage Town and Herston FC to secure a brand new all weather football pitch in Swanage.
“This is an amazing football club with so much support locally and if built, this pitch will enable local people to train and play all year round and help to grow our brilliant local club as well.
“Working alongside the club, I’m lobbying to secure funding from both the Government and Dorset Council.
“With the right funding in place we can finally crack on and deliver an all weather football pitch in Swanage, and looking ahead, I will always bang the drum for grassroots sports in Purbeck.”
Muddly patches and waterlogging during the winter playing season often make the current pitch unusable
“Deciding moment for the project”
Speaking at the event, Swanage Town and Herston FC treasurer Lizzie Hibberd said:
“We are really excited to officially launch our 3G pitch project. It’s something that we have been working on for a long time and we feel that the next year will be the deciding moment for the project – because to get it done, we need cash.
“We are looking to deliver a state of the art facility at Days Park, beginning with a 3G pitch, an artificial surface which we can play on throughout the year, whatever the weather.
“Our biggest problem currently is the number of games that have to be cancelled because of rain, and when the pitch gets muddy we have no option but to cancel matches.
“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 that the pitch is yet again just too wet to play on – which means less sport being played by young people.”
Swanage businesses, organisations and individuals were invited to the launch of the 3G pitch fundraising evening
“Bring us all together in one space”
Lizzie added:
“We can also provide a space for local clubs and other sports teams, local schools, and community groups – who knows who might find this 3G pitch useful?
“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 Swanage and Purbeck community has a disproportionate number of elderly, deprived households and disabled people.
“There’s a lot of research that shows these groups are not active enough, not engaging in activities which can help their physical and mental health. This project could help them be more active, and bolster the wellbeing of the town in general.”
With an all weather pitch, Swanage Town could look to earn promotion to the Wessex League
Four tier fundraising plan
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.
It is envisaged a Founding 200 Club will be formed of 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, raising an immediate £50,000.
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.
For an investment of £10,000 or more, legacy investors will have their company logo on all teams’ training kits, a full day pitch hire once a year for a corporate event and season passes to all home matches.
The principal pitch partner will be decided by a blind bid auction which will start at £30,000 with the winner securing branding for their company at the stadium entrance and on the clubhouse, as well as having the new pitch named for them.
Nick Spetch is looking beyond the pitch to a community centre at Days Park to replace the sports hall and clubhouse
“Ambition doesn’t stop on touchline”
Chair of Days Park Community Sport Trust Nick Spetch said:
“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, social connections and keeping our senior citizens active.
“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.
“Over the past five years the club has seen phenomenal growth, with 26 teams ranging from youth squads to walking football groups, but we have run out of space. We want to ensure that no one in the Purbeck area is left on the sidelines.
“Whether you are from Swanage, Corfe Castle or Wareham, this is about providing a facility where every community member can thrive. This is about more than just football, it’s about a healthier and connected future for our entire community.”
Barry Audley, left, with the rest of Team 3G at the presentation meeting
“Believe in the town and its spirit”
Chair of Swanage Town and Herston FC Barry Audley added:
“For the club, it is not just about the scoreline. We are currently a hub for hundreds of local players, a flourishing youth section, expanding girls football teams, but we have reached our physical limit due to increasing costs of outsourcing facilities to play and train.
“This surface allows us to open our gates to the entire Purbeck community offering a home for training and matches for all ages, genders and capabilities, and it simply doesn’t exist in this area at the moment.
“By creating this elite environment, we will ensure that Swanage and Herston FC remains the premier destination for sporting excellence in this region, providing a clear pathway from youth football into the future.
“We are not just asking for donations, we are asking for partners – if you believe in the town and its spirit, your contribution can be a catalyst, this is the moment to build something truly special for the club and the whole Purbeck area.”
A new sports hall and community centre is the longer term dream once a 3G pitch is secured for the club
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
