After the Welsh border town of Monmouth was hit by flash flooding on the night of 15 November 2025, a number of communities were affected, including the local sports clubs.
“Basically all the sports clubs who use the sports ground and sports pavilion were affected in some way, either directly or indirectly,” said Monmouth Sports Association (MSA) chairman Andy Tabb.
“The depth of the water totally took us by surprise and how quickly it came up, we’ve never seen this amount of water before.”
When the River Monnow burst its banks, floodwater quickly flowed into the Monmouth Sports Ground and the neighbouring Chippenham fields, submerging the pavilion for more than 30 hours and the fields for closer to 72 hours.
Just three weeks prior, the pavilion had hosted the grand opening of its three-year refurbishment, a project which cost the MSA more than £400,000.
A week before the flooding, the tennis courts had also received a new surface — which was later ruined by floodwater.
Volunteers turned up the following day to begin the clean-up, as Tabb explained.
He said: “We turned up on the Sunday and it was just a mess. So, a few phone calls later and by 11 o'clock we had 65 volunteers here, armed with brushes, mops, dustpans and cleaning cloths.
“We cleaned the building from top to bottom, three if not four times, but it didn't even look like we'd done it.”
With the clubs reliant on the facilities, all activity was halted while the recovery process took place to ensure they could get back up and running as soon as possible.
“As a result, the flooding on the ground itself, meant there were no rugby or football games allowed by Environmental Health for at least two weeks, ideally three, because of contaminated water,” added Tabb.
“The building was totally out of use. We needed to get the electrics tested, but also just the contamination within the building.”
It wasn’t just senior sport that was affected.
On Sundays, children and parents regularly head to the Chippenham fields next to the Sports Ground to watch or play football and rugby — and that community was heavily impacted.
“I think most junior football and rugby has been cancelled until the end of January,” the MSA chairman said.
“There were two shipping containers, one rugby one, that moved right across the car park and balanced on some spectator rails.
“The junior football one had been moved completely across Chippy, almost touching the dual carriageway, and was actually turned on its side.”
Tabb stressed the impact on sport “pales into insignificance” compared to the damage suffered by residents and businesses in the town.
He said: “It’s had a big impact on people’s sporting lives, but that pales into insignificance when you look at the damage that’s been done on the high street and to people’s homes.”
Monmouth parkrun also takes place within the grounds and has recently returned, as Tabb explained.
“20th of December was our first parkrun back since the flood, and people have been doing parkrun tourism, travelling to events elsewhere.
“It shows the impact on people’s lives when sport plays such a big part. That’s highlighted by parkrun because it’s such a community event. We had 190 people there, from locals to visitors from across the country.”
Monmouth Town Football Club hosted their first game in over a month on the 13th of December and despite not having a fully operational clubhouse, they delivered a 2-0 win over Rogerstone AFC — a reward not just for their efforts but the whole of the MSA.
They were joined by the rugby club and park run the following week, as things began to return to normal again.
“However, significant work still lies ahead in the new year, with the association facing another costly refurbishment of the pavilion.
“I think we're looking at the moment at a £300,000 insurance claim. Almost all internal fittings will be removed, including flooring, doors, bars, kitchens and plastered walls.
“Also moving forward, we're going to have to look at some flood prevention means, whether it's floodgates or flood doors.
“And looking at where air bricks are maybe and sealing places to stop water coming in. That's all we can do so onwards and upward.”
Donations can be made via the Monmouth Sports Association’s GoFundMe page to help raise the funds needed to rebuild a facility that plays a vital role in the town’s sporting community.
Gofundme link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuild-monmouth-sports-community-after-devastating-floods
