Sport England awards £50,000 to Shap MUGA Project

The remaining application for £30,000 to Eden's Rural Infrastructure Fund is currently being considered, and we should have a final decision by August 10th.  We are optimistic that this will also be successful.  We have other funding already in place including money raised by a sponsored walk by young people in the village.  Once funding is in place, we will be putting the finishing touches to the project planning, and then working to complete the project by June next year.

 Jean Jackson, Chairman of Shap Parish Council, said "What started out as just a dream is turning into a reality for the people of Shap. When completed, the MUGA will provide a grand facility not only for the young people but all of the sporting groups in the village. Shap Parish Council are delighted that Sport England saw fit to give us their maximum grant which will enable this project to proceed."

What we have now

What we are planning

Our plans are for new fencing, a polymeric surface, floodlighting and new paths. A lot of thought has gone into ensuring that the materials being used are robust and will not require costly maintenance.

The fencing is the most expensive item as it has to be as quiet as possible, be strong enough to have footballs regularly bouncing off it, as well as being as vandal proof as possible. It will be of a true ball rebound type, include 2 goals, cricket stumps, basketball goals, pedestrian and maintenance gates. It will be 3m high except at the A6 end where it will be 4m. The MUGA gates will not be locked, except for essential maintenance. There will be an online booking system set up on this website.

The surface has been the most difficult to choose, because of the variety available. It has to be suitable for football, cricket practice and netball, as well as needing minimal maintenance. After visiting various sites around the country, one surface ticked all our boxes. It is polymeric, and has a degree of softness but not so much that a ball won't bounce. It also has a slightly rough surface to help with friction. There will be line markings for five-a-side football and netball as well as basketball.

Four lights will be mounted on 8m mid-hinged columns which allow for easy replacement of bulbs. All the lights will have cowling to stop the light flooding other areas. At the public meeting concerns were raised about how much the lighting will cost to run, and we are still investigating the best approach. We have to balance the extra cost of powering them up and down, which uses more current, and the problem of the restart time delay if switching on shortly after switching off, against the cost of leaving them on continuously once it is dark.

A new access path and gate from the corner of Croft Avenue with Main Street will be created. This will allow easy disabled access to the area. A pathway round the court and along the side of the tennis courts (football ground side) to join up with the path at the main entrance is also planned.

To help run this facility we will need a Steering Committee. Members from the clubs using the MUGA, young people, the village and the Parish Council will be invited to come on board.

If you have any questions, or would like to comment on our plans, please contact

    Mrs Jean Jackson      01931 716671    jeanjackson_hermitage@btopenworld.com
    Mrs Helen Warburg    01931 713317    helen@handwell.co.uk


Example of a MUGA

Shap Parish Council's plans to refurbish the out of use third tennis court as a Multi-use Games Area (MUGA) have taken a significant step forward.  Their application to Sport England's Inspired Facilities Fund has been successful and the £50,000 award is a major milestone in the development of the project.