FROME Town Football Club has launched a crowdfunder to try and raise the final £10,000 of a four-year campaign to replace the ground’s floodlights.
The supporters’ club has already raised around £50,000 towards the upgrade and is now calling on local people to help fill the pot before summer arrives.
The current lights were installed 37 years ago in 1980 and are in dire need of improvement in order to meet Southern League standards.
Supporters’ Club secretary and town councillor, Gary Collinson, told Frome Times, “The lights get dimmer every year and inspectors have said that soon they won’t be bright enough to play under.
“If they don’t meet the standards of the league we’d have to find somewhere else to play when it’s dark.
“This money will pay for the lights to be replaced with better, more efficient ones that should last for another 30 to 40 years.
“The club is aspiring towards promotion and the new lights will future-proof us for the league above, too.
“The football club generally does well out of fundraisers – just look how well the Jamie Mines fund is going – so we’re hopeful that people will support us so we can get the work done in the summer.”
The club hopes to raise the £10,000 by 11th April. It had originally wanted to put new lamps on the existing floodlights but was told the whole system needed rewiring.
Gary added, “The new floodlights will be more energy efficient, brighter and also, by reducing to four columns from six and the lamps being more targeted, there will also be much less light spillage and the entire pitch will be evenly lit.”
To donate to the floodlights go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/frome-town-fc-floodlight-appeal