More than £4,500 has been raised to secure a new facility for a Cardiff cricket club which was broken into and defaced with racist graffiti. Llandaff Cricket Club were left feeling "horrified" and "violated" after their clubhouse was vandalised with swastikas, the words 'Hail Hitler' and the n-word.
Two coaches for the club's women's team discovered the shocking vandalism on Sunday, September 25, just before an afternoon training session. The obscene markings, which also included a drawing of a penis, were spray-painted all over the main area of their facility in Llandaff Fields.
Cardiff Council removed all the markings following the discovery, while South Wales Police said there will be increased patrols in the area, with hate crime officers reviewing the graffiti. Now the club, whose members are predominantly of south Asian descent, has started a fundraiser to acquire "new modern, secure, high-quality facilities" so that they can "turn this moment of pain into a moment of hope."
A moving statement from the club on the GoFundMe campaign vowed the cricket club is "expanding access to cricket, bridging community divides and standing up to cowardly, racist vandals". The statement reads: "Llandaff Cricket Club serves a diverse community in the heart of Cardiff with vital access to safe, outdoor exercise.
"Our roster of over 20 volunteer community coaches brings together children and adults from multi-ethnic and multi-religious backgrounds to grow the game and strengthen community cohesion. We exist to ensure that anyone who wants to play cricket gets to.
"Last week, we were attacked by people who would like to see our movement fail. Two coaches of our women's team opened up our clubhouse to find that it had been broken into and vandalised with racist, Nazi graffiti in an apparent attempt to intimidate us. The club is determined to bounce back stronger, but to do that: we need your help.
"We want to turn this moment of pain into a moment of hope. We're calling on the community to support us in raising funds for new modern, secure, high-quality facilities worthy of the people who use them. Your money will go towards Bounce Back Better Fund, which will support the club in embarking on its long-awaited development project.
"For years the club has been trying to level up our facilities, and now we are closer than ever. If we can make up the current £20,000 shortfall with help from the community, we can make this dream a reality. It's simple: better facilities mean more children's lives are changed through cricket."
As of October 4, donations have reached £4,530, and the fundraiser has been backed by a host of famous faces - including ex-professional cricketers Azeem Rafiq, Mark Butcher and Phillip DeFreitas, and Welsh comedians Elis James and Mike Bubbins. Sohail Rauf, the club's chairman, said they had been "truly humbled" by the support so far.
"The widespread support we are receiving from around the world has a pleasant surprise and has been truly eye-opening. We will continue to raise funds to help improve the facilities and security at Llandaff CC," he said. You can donate to the recovery fundraiser for Llandaff Cricket Club here.
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