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TRENCHES are being dug around the training pitch at Bahrain Rugby Football Club (BDFC) to tackle patches of dead grass and provide electrical power and drainage upgrades in what is set to be the start of BD200,000 worth of improvements to the facility over the next 18 months.
The popular sports ground on the edge of Janabiya and Saar, which hosts the twice-yearly TribFest and annual Gaelic Games amongst its community activities, will benefit from the major investment, although the specific choices on some of the future work will be left to a vote of members at an annual general meeting in November.
Bob Phillips, BRFC’s facilities manager, is currently masterminding the start of essential repairs and improvements. “It may look like the club goes to sleep over the summer but nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. “My role is to drive the projects on.”
Artificial turf is set to be laid around the edges of the training pitch with shading erected for spectators during a lull in rugby and football training and matches and behind the scenes activities include repairs to the players’ changing rooms before action on the pitch starts around August and September when BRFC’s first team will face international competition in the ARFU-WA Cup.
The Players Sports Lounge is to be extensively refurbished with members welcomed on match days for post-match speeches, plus facilities for family entertainment and corporate events at other times.
Several changing room refits and toilets improvements are planned too and one of the most significant potential changes may be conducted at the club entrance.
The removal of the majority of the gatehouse is being investigated so as to leave a centrally located security cabin with separate entrance and exit lanes either side with security barriers.
On the hospitality front, Manos Bistro is set for an investment in its bathrooms and its patio area may get removable panels to allow the area to be closed off in the peak of summer for cooling as well as to introduce heating during winter cold snaps.
The Blindside BBQ is also set for a series of improvements and the area surrounding it may be shaded and made more attractive.
