A Pembroke sports club is to field a 200-member team for the Bermuda Day half-marathon as part of a fundraising campaign to resurface its playing field.

Western Stars Sports Club, which oversees an historically successful cricket team and the Dandy Town football programme, launched the campaign in partnership with internet service provider LiveNet to raise $100,000 to offset the $250,000 needed to restore the field to proper use.

Devarr Boyles, the club’s president, said the pitch was in “desperate need” of resurfacing.

Last June, the Government announced that $535,000 had been allocated for Island Construction to complete upgrades at the grounds, which had to be closed in 2019 because stones lodged in the turf presented a hazard to footballers and cricketers.

Mr Boyles said: “For many years the field has been the foundation of training, competitions and growth of our athletes.

“It has been a battleground for skills to sharpen but today it is unplayable.

“The conditions are not safe — with no proper playing surface we are losing opportunities for athletes to develop their skills and for them to peak at the highest level.”

Some foundation works by the contractor were expected to begin this month but were held up by the sourcing of machine parts.

Mr Boyles explained: “We were told that the mobilisation of the equipment will start March 1.”

He added: “I get e-mails constantly about parts being flown in for different machines, but for a club that’s been waiting ... we’ve been waiting patiently for five-plus years.

“When you say March 1, it should be March 1.”

Mr Boyles said the fundraiser would bring out club members for the Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby on May 23 as the “largest club team ever”, with each runner committed to raise $500.

The club aims to reach its $100,000 goal with the community’s support

Mr Boyles added: “This campaign is just not for Western Stars. It is for everybody who believes in the power of sport, community and opportunity.

“We are calling on businesses and individuals to step up and be a part of this movement.”

Troy Symonds, the managing director of LiveNet Communications, said the company was proud to help restore the field to its former glory.

He said: “We decided that we will do what we do best, and involve our technical, engineering and marketing teams to help to get this message out.

“It is to help get the revenue in the pockets of the executive team so they could repair the field.”

Mr Symonds added: “I challenge every athlete at Dandy Town to break a record in the upcoming Bermuda Day half-marathon.”

Jenay Gomez, an administrator at the club, said Western Stars had provided a home, a foundation and a pathway for the growth of promising young athletes.

She added: “It has given children and young adults a space to learn teamwork, discipline and resilience — skills that go far beyond the field and into their futures as leaders, professionals and contributors to our society.”

Mr Boyles highlighted the club’s rich history and critical role in the Pembroke West community.

He said the organisation dated back to 1906 and had shaped generations of athletes and young leaders.

The club’s name came from a cricket match when the winning team was presented the title of “Western Stars”.

He said: “In 1972-73, Dandy Town was formed, and ten years later they were promoted to the Premier Division and have not looked back since.”

In 1984, Western Stars Sports Club merged with Dandy Town Sports Club, with the parent club retaining the Western Stars name and the football team remaining as Dandy Town.

Besides football and cricket, the club has participated in netball and softball competitions.

Mr Boyles added: “Western Stars Sports Club will continue to offer avenues of sport to the community of Pembroke West and other persons in Bermuda.”