There is a vision to transform the historic venue into a facility that will be able to get the better of the British weather and provide the chance to keep students and the wider community active throughout the year.

The focus is to install a durable, high-quality, all-weather surface to allow far greater intensity of use for training and playing a greater range of sports, including rugby union, football, rugby league, Australian rules, and American football.

Linney and Dengler are the captains of the men’s and women’s Cambridge University Association Football Club respectively and are in the final stages of preparing their sides for the Varsity Matches at Cambridge United’s Cledara Abbey Stadium this Friday (March 21).

“An all-weather pitch at Grange Rd would make future captains' lives much easier, as there's a lot of work required to find a pitch for regular evening training sessions at the moment,” explains Linney, a student at Girton College studying engineering.

“There's also the added benefit of being able to play fixtures year-round without the overhanging threat of the British winter leaving you without a fixture for a few weeks.”

They were sentiments echoed by Dengler, a law student at Gonville & Caius College.

“It would be a massive help to the club and everyone involved with it,” she says. 

“As a club, having facilities to train and play on is always a struggle to have to organise on different College pitches. 

“This all-weather pitch would not only provide each of our teams with easier pitch access and better training times but would also ensure that we are playing on a good quality surface in all weather types, being really beneficial for our club’s development.”

The planned development of Grange Road will not only enhance competitive sports playing and promote physical wellbeing for students and the wider community but will also see improvements to the related facilities to make the ground more accessible, enhance the spectating experience, and increase the variety of purposes that the ground will serve.  

Linney has been a lifelong football player and will experience the “extremely proud moment” of walking the team out to face Oxford, having relished the opportunities that the sport and club have had for both health and social reasons.

“It's provided me with much-needed exercise and breaks from the intense workload we experience at Cambridge, which has been essential to maintaining some level of sanity,” he said.

“The social side has also massively improved my experience at Cambridge, being the centre of many friendships I've made during my time here.”

Dengler started playing football at the age of four, and has thrived in the welcoming atmosphere of CUAFC, describing the initial decision to join the club as an “absolute no-brainer".

Leading the team out at the Abbey on Friday night in front of family and friends will mark Dengler’s last match for the club, with the sport having had a positive impact on her overall wellbeing and mental health while at the University.

“I’ve always seen football as a great way to clear the mind from any stress or worry of a very busy academic life here in Cambridge,” she said.

“As soon as you step on the pitch, you’re able to forget everything around it and just focus on enjoying yourself with your teammates, which is really important for my mental and physical health!”

The Women’s Varsity Match kicks off this Friday 21 March at 4pm, followed by the Men’s Varsity Match at 7.45pm. Find out more