Cramlington Rockets awarded whopping £175,000 grant for new Eastfield Community Pavilion

The money, which has come from the Rugby League World Cup's 'Created By' programme, will also enable the Eastfield Community Pavilion in Cramlington to be turned into a community hub.

The Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) was due to take place last year, and grassroots organisations were invited to apply for grants ahead of the tournament kicking off.

But then the competition was postponed due to the pandemic and although Cramlington Rockets were not in a position to apply for a slice of cash last year, they were this year, and struck lucky.

It is also hoped the refurbished facility – transferred to the club by the local authority – will also act as a meeting point for kids in Eastfield.

Cramlington Rockets chairman Jeffrey Ball said: “We would not have got this money if it hadn't been for Covid, we were not in a position to go ahead and make the application last year.

“The biggest silver lining of Covid is it's given us this opportunity to secure the World Cup funding, which allows us to be in the position we are now.

“It will provide a home for Cramlington Rockets and an accessible facility for the community that we're going to develop and hopefully expand in years to come.

“It will give people somewhere to use, belong to and somewhere to explore other activities rather than hanging around on the streets, which is something we're quite conscious about given it is a recognised area of antisocial behaviour by the police.”

The funding from the Created By programme, in partnership with the Rugby Football League, Sport England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also being used to expand the club and allow females to join.

The Rockets currently have around 200 playing members across eight sides but, boosted by the new infrastructure, they are hoping to branch out and begin a female section too, with the women’s and wheelchair World Cups taking place alongside the men’s competition this autumn.

Mr Ball added: “We are hoping to introduce girls next year with the new facilities.

“The facilities allow us to manage the space in terms of what is used in the building and when, so we are factoring in female changing rooms.”

With the Rugby League World Cup 2021 coming to town, Ball is hoping the region can come to be regarded as one of rugby league’s traditional heartlands, with some of the Rockets’ youngsters in line to be mascots at the opening game between England and Samoa at St James’ Park on October 15.

“Once they see us and understand what we offer, the values that we can provide and the discipline and opportunities like being mascots at World Cups,” Mr Ball added.

The Rugby League World Cup promises to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event in the sport’s 127-year history with men’s, women’s and wheelchair teams competing in 61 games across 21 venues throughout England. Tickets are available via rlwc2021.com/tickets.