Work begins on Burgate School 3G sports pitch
It's costing a total of nearly £900,000 to install
Work's started on bringing a new 3G sports pitch to the Burgate School at Fordingbridge, for the whole community to use.
It's expected to be ready for use by February 2024.
The facilities are costing nearly £900,000 to install - with £250,000 of the funding coming from New Forest District Council (NFDC).
The project's also had £600,000 of support from the Premier League and the FA, with the Burgate School contributing £40,000.
Once it's completed, it'll be used by the school and sixth form, as well as the District Council, Fordingbridge Turks football club and Fordingbridge Rugby.
Cllr Derek Tipp, portfolio holder for planning and economy from NFDC, said:
“The Burgate School and Sixth Form is well placed geographically for an improved open space in Fordingbridge. We have worked with the school to develop an open space that will benefit the local football and rugby clubs as well as being open for community events. It will be a major boost to all weather sports provision in the town and will allow multiple practice or match sessions to operate at the same time.”
“Housing developers of new properties in Fordingbridge have been required to contribute per new house towards new playing pitch provision and associated facilities in the town. This allocation is a first step in such sports facility improvements for the town. We look forward to seeing the space being used for a variety of sports and providing affordable access for all.”
Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said:
“The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government – to transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England by delivering projects like this across the country.
“Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities.
“This grant award to The Burgate School and Sixth Form towards developing a new 3G football turf pitch is fantastic news for the local community and will help give more people access to a great place to play."