Footballers in Hindley were celebrating today
following the announcement of a massive £121,151 funding package to
revamp the Leyland Park Playing Fields.
The cash bonanza will allow Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council who are
working in partnership with the newly formed Wigan Leisure & Culture
Trust to construct brand new changing rooms for both male and female
players as well as match officials. The award will also fund
improvements to the site’s three pitches, which have suffered recently
due to poor drainage to the extent that the pitches have been out of
play for the past two seasons.
The new facilities are expected to raise participation rates in the
area, particularly amongst local girls as well providing more
opportunities for disabled footballers who have often felt excluded from
the national game due to the lack of modern, inclusive facilities.
Historically over 250 players used the pitches every week, these
improvements are expected to double the amount of regular users.
Links will be established with local clubs schools and community
organisations and the site will become a focus for education programmes
for local team managers and volunteers who will offered the chance to
enrol on FA coaching courses.
The Football Foundation is dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of
the game, constructing modern football facilities, developing football
as a force for social cohesion and as a vehicle for education in
communities throughout the country. Funded by the FA Premier League, The
Football Association, Sport England and the Government, the Football
Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity with £75m already
invested into the heart of football.
Peter Lee, Chief Executive of the Football
Foundation, welcomed this latest boost for grass roots sport:
"The Leyland Park will soon offer some of the best facilities in the
area. Our sincere congratulations go to the Council for their hard work
and dedication in securing this funding package which will provide the
people of Hindley with pitches and changing rooms they can be truly be
proud of."
Andrew Bond – Playing Fields Development Officer for
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust said:
"This award presents a wonderful opportunity to improve sporting
facilities within the Hindley area and strategically within the Borough
of Wigan. We have and will continue to work hard to present a case to
external funders for their support and hope this is the first of many
such awards to enable grass sports pitch provision to improve for the
benefit of users within Wigan".
Andy Burnham, MP for Leigh added his support to the
project:
"We are working to bring much-needed investment to the Hindley area
and, in particular, give our young people better facilities. This
generous award from the Football Foundation is a major boost to that
effort. It does the heart good to see money from the Premier League, the
Lottery and other sources reaching communities like Hindley that need
and deserve it."
For more information, please contact Andrew Bond,
Playing Fields Development Officer, 01942 828827
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