Artificial pitch plan for Bridport FC to tackle flooding

Last December, the club's St Mary's pitch off Skilling Hill Road was submerged in 2ft of water, whilst its clubhouse, the Beehive, was also flooded as the River Brit burst its banks following heavy rain - leading to fixture and event cancellations.

Now, in a bid to avoid the impact of extreme flooding, the idea of installing an artificial pitch has been touted by the club's committee. 

Non-league football clubs such as Bridport suffer huge financial ramifications when games are cancelled due to bad weather which can also come from frozen pitches as well as flooding. 

READ: Bridport FC under water as River Brit bursts its banks

St Mary's pitch at Bridport FC submerged in two feet of water after the River Brit burst its banks (Image: Adrian Scadding) Without the income of gate receipts and other match day revenues, such as selling food and drink - keeping the running costs going can be difficult. 

Bridport FC chairman Adrian Scadding said: "Flooding causes significant disruption for the football club, and the financial ramifications are particularly tough for us as a small club.

"We rely heavily on gate receipts and income from the clubhouse, and even a brief interruption can have a major impact. 

"That said, we've had extensive discussions in our committee meetings, and we believe that installing a 4G pitch is the best way forward. The FA is currently offering substantial grants for these types of projects, which could be a great opportunity for us."

A 4G pitch is a synthetic surface and unlike 3G pitches, it has no infill materials in it such as sand or plastic pellets. The pitches are also lower maintenance with more realistic characteristics to 3G pitches

The club believes that creating such a pitch would help prevent the fixture postponements due to the weather, but also provide a playing surface for the community that can be used more regularly.

READ: Bridport FC clean up after River Brit bursts its banks

Mr Scadding added: "A 4G pitch would not only benefit our club but also the local community by providing more access to football for training sessions and additional matches.

"Given that we're located on a floodplain, we would need to elevate the pitch to allow water to flow underneath, which would also reduce the overall footprint on the land. 

"The town council has taken steps to address the flooding issue by clearing the main water outlets beneath the car park, which had been blocked. 

Work has begun to the car park adjacent to Bridport FC to help alleviate flooding (Image: Simon Robinson) READ: Makeover begins at Bridport Football Club potholed car park

"While we still have a long way to go in securing our 4G pitch, I remain hopeful that we can make progress.

"Our club has grown to include three men’s teams and two ladies' teams, and having a new 4G pitch would greatly alleviate the pressure of finding suitable facilities for our expanding teams."

Work by the town council is already underway to improve the car parking facilities adjacent to the club with a permanent surface and water run off system being installed to help with flooding in the area. 

This work is understood to be crucial in enabling the club to look at redesigning the pitch.