Heacham Football Club faces an even brighter future following installation of new floodlights
Heacham Football Club have glimpsed the future at their Heacham Sports Field home – and it’s brighter than ever before.
That’s due to the power of six new floodlights installed at the club's home venue this week as part of continued ground improvements at the Thurlow Nunn League outfit.
As well as erecting the new floodlights, the Magpies have also completed the building of a club shop while improving the main stand and general facilities around the ground.
The club were successful in obtaining a large proportion of the funding through Football Foundation Grants but the work is believed to have cost in the region of £120,000, of which the club have had to find £40,000 themselves.
The First Division North leaders, who are chasing an eighth successive promotion this term, will have to carry out further improvements should they successfully make the step up to the Premier Division.
Heacham’s long-serving chairman David Page has to pinch himself as the club continue to make giant strides – on and off the pitch.
"I just can't believe how far we've come if I'm honest and I never thought I'd see the day that the club would get floodlights," he said.
"I'm overwhelmed with it all and so many people have been good to the club with all of their help and support.
"You talk about the phrase onwards and upwards, well from the club's point of view it has just been upwards and upwards.
"The work Griggsy (David Griggs) puts in, to make things happen and get things done on and off the pitch is incredible."
Regarded as ‘Mr Heacham’, Page has been involved with the club – first formed back in 1907 – for more than six decades of his life.
Starting off as a player in his teens, Page has devoted the majority of his life to the tiny village outfit whose rise through the leagues has gathered pace at a rate of knots.
He recalled the day he used to train at the club with a lighting initiative which would fail all health and safety regulations in the current day game.
"We used to have a number of old wooden goalposts with a made-up stand which had Smiths Crisps tins on top," he said.
"The tins were lined out with tin foil inside and had a bulb inside each tin. We had to prop the trip up because the electricity wasn't that good back then."
Heacham provide playing opportunities for hundreds of people across the West Norfolk community and the club have applied to field an Under-18 side in the Thurlow Nunn Youth League next season.
The investment of the £70,000 floodlights should prove a sound one in the long term with even more brighter days ahead for everyone connected with the club.
