NEWENT Rugby Club hope to secure a 21-year lease to improve the Recreation Ground.

The Green Army, which has seen success on the pitch over recent years, is hoping that Newent Town Council will agree to their plans to improve their current facilities and secure a long-term lease.

The club wants to install new flood lights, upgrade the changing rooms and install a storage building on the site.

John Moore, club chairman, said: “We are hoping that by improving our facilities we can attract more players.

“At the moment all the playing kit is being stored in the nooks and crannies of the changing rooms which is not ideal.

“Going forward we would also like to flatten the pitch but this isn’t something that needs to be done desperately.

“At the level of rugby we are playing we need to improve our facilities for it to be an attractive place to come to.

The town council has received the rugby club’s ground proposals and it has decided to set up a working group to look into the plan’s details.

By securing a long term lease the club would also be allowed to apply for extra funding from the Rugby Football Union to go towards facilities and equipment.