As you may have heard, plans are underway to upgrade the facilities at Grange Road including the installation of an AGP (artificial grass pitch) and significant improvements to the pavilion. The development of Grange Road and the installation of an AGP will transform the playing experience for us as players at CURUFC and for the wider Cambridge student sporting community.
With over 120 players and 6 teams, the load currently placed on the grass pitch is unsustainable. Last term saw the current pitch play host to 14 games and 40 training sessions, even with Men’s and Women’s 2nd XV BUCS games being played off site on college pitches and the men and women taking it in turns to train on alternate Fridays at Shelford RFC. As part of the redevelopment, we also look forward to welcoming CUAFC back to Grange Road and building on the vast, shared history of the two clubs.
“As Men’s Captain for CURUFC, I find the prospect of an artificial pitch being installed at Grange Road particularly exciting for several reasons. The opportunity to increase, along with other sports teams, on-pitch hours is particularly enticing. The more we train, the the more chance we have of sticking it to Oxford come the Varsity Matches. Furthermore, the chance to join forces with another of the university’s oldest clubs (CUAFC), will make Grange Road an even bigger sporting hub and bring big fixtures to the ground each week.” Fergus Hughes, CURUFC Men’s Captain.
“I think the pitch development is a really exciting opportunity for Cambridge sport both on a University and college level. As a college footballer and University rugby player, I understand how important it is to have adequate facilities for all levels of Cambridge sport. It’s also really exciting to continue our longstanding relationship with CUAFC through the development”. Bethan Jones, CURUFC Women’s Captain.
We have a very exciting calendar of fixtures at Grange Road next term as we build towards the Varsity Matches at StoneX Stadium on Saturday 8th March 2025. Particular highlights include the Men’s Blues fixtures against the Army and Ealing U21s and the Women’s Blues against the 88s Invitational XV. We also look forward to hosting the Women’s 2nd and 3rd XV Varsity Matches.
The development of the ground at Grange Road will have a truly transformational impact on our club and the experience of the players and we encourage all our alumni to consider supporting the project. If you would like to make a contribution to this exciting project, please contact James Howell, who will be coordinating our wider fundraising efforts.
A very Happy Christmas to all our alumni and we look forward to seeing many of you in the New Year.
Fergus Hughes and Bethan Jones
Blues Captains
