Helston Athletic FC is a club that is going places.
Founded in 1896, the club attracted five-figure Football Stadia Improvement Fund money three years ago to enable it to install a new 100-seater grandstand, floodlights, dugouts and erect full ground perimeter fencing.
The sky’s the limit
More developments are in the wings at Kellaway Park as England’s most southerly step 6 football club pushes to qualify for The FA Cup and mark another milestone in its long history.
Promoted to the Carlberg South West Peninsula League Premier Division two years ago, the club is playing at its highest level in its one hundred and twenty one year history.
Aiming to help them in their mission to finish in the League’s top eight is star signing Tom Smith, a former player with Truro City, who won the FA Vase ten years ago. Tom goes down in history as being the very first person to lift a trophy at the current Wembley Stadium.
In the clubhouse, facilities needed to improve to match those outside, says team manager, and former professional, Steve Massey, who speaks with some pride about the brand new home changing rooms completed by Paignton-based locker specialists Crown Sports Lockers.
“We wanted to improve the changing facilities as a way of encouraging players to come to the club and wear their shirt with pride,” he explains. “Everyone is delighted with the all-round high quality of the installation, which reaches the standards we are striving to achieve throughout the club.”
Crown’s fit out team installed open kit hanging units in team blue and grey laminate, integrated bench seating and shoe storage below, plus fridge and hi-fi media unit to create a changing room to rival any of Helston’s competitors. Local business, and club sponsors, Carpet Connection supplied and installed the incredible flooring boasting the club badge.
“We are the biggest community club in the South West,” adds Steve, “with the largest percentage of club members to population than anywhere else in the UK.” An impressive statistic surely set to improve further as Helston powers forward.