INSIDE FOOTBALL is a new indoor football venue in Stroud, opened in March 2014 by Tony Adams and run by former Aston Villa footballer Steve Cowe and friend Clive Eckersal. The venue consists of three small courts separated by weighted curtains, which can be pulled back to create a 3G football pitch. There is also a reception area, a lounge area with sofas, a stand for spectators, toilets, changing rooms and a multi purpose room to serve as a classroom, party room or fitness area. Now thanks to the installation of a new 2G Flicx Pitch, the venue can also be used for cricket too.
Clive Eckersall picks up the story…. “We opened Inside Football in January 2014 and concentrated on developing the football bookings side of the business with Clubs, Leagues, Casual bookings & Childrens Coaching / Holiday Camps. With the summer 6 weeks long, we needed to offer other sports for our holiday courses such as cricket, tag rugby, rounders etc.
The company we employed to carry out the 3G & netting installation was S & C Slatter of Newbury and we asked them to recommend a cricket mat suitable for rolling out & laying on the surface and they recommended the Flicx mats. Gary came down from Flicx UK with a mat to demo and we invited Ben Gannon, a former professional cricketer, to come along and try out it out. We were all very happy with the results with good bounce being produced. Since purchasing the pitch, we have had alot of interest from local cricket clubs and are now advertising the fact we can offer cricket at our unique facility. We are looking to expand in the future with the possibility of installing nets dividing a pitch into 3 cricket nets and installing 2 more Flicx cricket mats. We look forward to a successful partnership with Flicx UK”
Speaking about the concept of transforming indoor football venues into cricketing facilities, Flicx UK Managing Director Richard Beghin said it was an increasingly popular request. “We are seeing a number of footballing facilities adding a Flicx pitch to their offering which enables them to also run indoor cricket leagues without any damage to the surface below. Indoor cricket is becoming increasingly popular during the winter months and its very easy to roll out a 2G Flicx Pitch onto a rubbercrumb pitch and it can just be rolled up and stored on its end after use. For operators its a great way to enhance the offering of their venue and attract new bookings just like Inside Football and The Soccer Factory (see video below) have successfully done.
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