Ian Brewerton Architecture

Whalley Range Amateur Football Club is one of the oldest football clubs in Manchester.

The clubhouse is not as old as the club, but it has reached the end of its working life - a club official commented that in winter the changing rooms were colder than the pitch ! Better facilities are urgently needed and I was commissioned to prepare a design to meet current FA standards.

The design provides;

4 changing rooms with showers

separate changing rooms for match officials

a first-aid room (for forceful tackles ...)

a club shop and snack bar (for spectators)

a bar and lounge

a balcony overlooking the main pitch

a fully equipped kitchen

an administration office / meeting room

Environmentally friendly materials and systems are to be used, including;

steel roof and first floor cladding (which can be 100% re-cycled at the end of its life)
steel frame (can also be re-cycled)
timber windows and doors (carbon neutral) with water-based environmentally friendly paints (no PVC)
infiltration drainage to the car parking areas - this helps to prevent overloading drainage which has led to flooding during the last two years
rainwater harvesting for toilet flushing, grounds maintenance etc.
if practicable, solar water heating
massive insulation, reducing heating costs and carbon emissions


The scheme has gained Planning Approval, and subject to funding, will be constructed in the summer of 2009.

revised 9 May 2008