Sheffield Wednesday Community Programme: A Marquee Case Study
Supporting grassroots football in Sheffield with a large, secure modular marquee for the club's charitable community programme.
The Sheffield Wednesday Community Programme (SWFCCP) is the registered charity attached to Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. Based close to the club's Hillsborough home in Sheffield, the programme runs a wide range of initiatives that use sport to support community development, including projects focused on health and wellbeing, youth and integration, work with women and girls, and employability.
A safe, sheltered space for grassroots football
During the summer holidays, the programme delivers football camps for local children. Boys and girls take part in coaching sessions led by qualified coaches, make new friends, and work towards prizes and certificates. The camps welcome children across a broad age range and all ability levels, so taking part does not depend on prior experience.
SWFCCP has also taken part in the Kellogg's Football Camps, the nationwide programme run with the English Football League that gives families access to free camp places at participating club charities each summer. You can find current dates and how to claim a place on the official Kellogg's Football Camps page.
Where Gala Tent came in
Gala Tent supplied a 9m x 12m Fusion modular marquee to give children a covered, secure space before, during and after their football sessions. The marquee sits within a compound directly beside the gate to the main training area, which adds a further layer of safeguarding for the young people using the facility.
Our sales manager Darren worked alongside Marcus from the community programme to specify a structure that suited the available space and the way the team intended to use it. The plan for the compound includes additional building units, with electricity and the potential for internet connectivity to be installed within the Fusion, turning it into a practical year-round base for the programme's activities.
As a full-service supplier, Gala Tent also arranged for the team at Marshall's Castles to erect the marquee safely on site, and company director Andrew visited in person to provide product training to the SWFCCP team so they get the most from the structure for as long as possible.
We are proud to have played a part in this project, and we remain on hand to advise the programme and supply any further products that support its community work.
Why the Fusion suits a community setting
The Fusion is the largest marquee Gala Tent supplies, with a clear-span design and widths up to 9 metres that suit everything from agricultural shows and festival stages to weddings and beer gardens. For a community programme that needs a dependable, reusable space, several features matter:
- A frame built from 6061/T6 grade extruded aluminium, designed for repeated assembly and long service life.
- Heavy-duty 750gsm PVC covers, with a self-cleaning roof.
- Certified flame retardant to DIN 4102 B1 and M2 standards.
- A modular bay system, so the structure can be extended or reduced to match changing needs.
- A rating for wind speeds up to 55mph when correctly anchored.
- A three-year fabric warranty and a one-year frame warranty.
The Fusion is designed and developed in Britain and supplied as a buy-to-own structure, which gives a community organisation full control over how and when the space is used.
About the programme
The Sheffield Wednesday Community Programme is based in Hillsborough, Sheffield. You can read more about its work on the SWFCCP website and follow the programme on Facebook.
Our thanks go to Sheffield Wednesday Football Club for allowing us to photograph the marquee in place, and to Mark and the team at Marshall's Castles for getting the structure up safely and securely.
Talk to us about a community or sports structure
If you run a community programme, charity or sports facility that could benefit from a large, secure temporary structure like the Fusion marquee, call us on 01709 242454, use the live chat, or get in touch through our contact page. You can also download a brochure or request a product demo.
We work with charitable and community organisations across the UK. Find out more on our charity page.
