A historic Croydon rugby club has said its successful emergency fundraiser to secure the club’s future is “only just the beginning”, as it now faces fresh challenges to upgrade its ground and improve access to the sport.
Streatham and Croydon RFC launched an appeal last month after fears that the cost of their ongoing maintenance issues threatened to put the club at risk of closure in its centenary year. However, its President Femi Oresanya has now confirmed the club has reached the fundraising amount, with a current total of over £25,000, and is now looking towards long-term sustainability.
“We have managed to raise the basic amount we needed just to keep the wolf from the door,” Mr Oresanya told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). “I am really pleased, humbled and honoured by the response we had.”
The funds will go towards essential running costs that had begun to mount at the club’s Frant Road ground in Thornton Heath. These costs include everything from maintenance, groundsmen fees, a £2,000 water bill and the cost of replacing a broken fridge.
While these pressures are faced by many clubs across the country, Mr Oresanya said they were increasingly difficult to manage. He said: “It is nothing extravagant. It is just running bills, but these things are required to keep the club running.”
The club has a storied history, having being founded in in 1871 and moving to its current home in 1926. However, Mr Oresanya says its recent years have been a struggle.
“We are caught in that post-Covid period,” he told the LDRS. “We don’t have as many members as we used to….it is just a matter of numbers.
“In days gone by, the club used to run 13 sides and the ground would have been a hive of activity all throughout the week.”
He said maintaining the Frant Road ground remains a constant challenge for the club. “The ground and the club needs to work harder just to stand still,” he added.
Looking ahead, the club wants to expand participation and update its facilities. Mr Oresanya said: “We don’t want to stand still, we want to grow the club. We want more members.”
The club’s President said future growth would include expanding the women’s and girls’ provision, alongside plans to redevelop the outdated squash courts on site.
However, finances remain tight, with Mr Oresanya adding: “We can’t even afford to demolish it at the moment.”
They have plans to eventually replace them with padel courts, providing another stream of income for the club.
According to Mr Oresanya, external funding support remains limited. “We get very little funding from the local authority,” he said. “I think they have got their own issues.”
Despite these challenges, Mr Oresanya said the club continues to offer a strong sense of community and a valuable outlet for local young people. Alongside its senior sides, it runs coaching sessions for children on midweek evenings and Sundays.
He said: “We provide an activity for children in that part of Croydon. We would rather children be off the streets, having fun, doing exercise and mixing with other members of the community.”
From archers to a nearby mosque, a range of groups use the ground, with rugby league teams set to take on regular use of the pitch once the rugby union season ends. The club also runs free youth clubs over school holiday periods.
Mr Oresanya said: “If you looked at it demographically you may say it’s an area of deprivation, but I don’t think so. Yes there are areas of deprivation around, but we are a club that is rich in its community.”
The club boasts a list of famous alumni, including former British and Irish Lion Jeff Probyn, former Prime Minister Jim Callaghan and current England star and World Cup winner Saya Kabeya.
However, Mr Oresanya said the club’s impact goes beyond these famous names. He said: “Success for me isn’t just the headline internationals but those who wouldn’t otherwise have found an opportunity to play rugby and to demonstrate that rugby is meant for everyone.
“With the exception of a few on the national team, the majority of players have gone to independent schools. It should be made accessible to everyone who wants to play the sport, and we need to provide the facilities to do so.
“I am grateful that we managed to hit the amount we needed, but if the appetite is there we would like to see how much we can raise so we can put a proper plan in place.”
The club’s fundraising page can be found on Gofundme.
