Highworth Town FC pitches for better ground
The town council has made an application to upgrade facilities
Footballers of all ages, and spectators of all abilities, could soon be enjoying much better and more accessible facilities in Highworth if a new plan is approved.
The town council has made an application to the planning department at Swindon Borough Council to significantly upgrade facilities at Highworth Town FC’s ground at the leisure complex at The Elms to the south of the town centre.
The plan is to replace the existing grass pitch with a £G all-weather artificial full-size pitch, but also to use different colour paints to mark out the full pitch, and two pitches suitable for under 12- and 11-year-olds, and two for players under 10 and nine, and four pitches for those under eight and seven. These smaller pitches can also be used for small-sided games by adults.
And players might not even have to run after a wayward pass, with the plan including a 1.1-metre-high fence to separate the artificial playing surface from the hard surface surrounding it.
That hard surface will be used for spectators and gol storage and there will be a ramp to allow access from the car park to the pitch for wheelchair users.
The plan includes replacements for existing floodlights and a three-metre-high noise mitigation barrier to the north and east of the pitch.
The town council’s application says replacing the grass pitch with the all-weather one will make it much easier to use for all sorts of groups and clubs: “The provision of a new artificial grass pitch will provide increased usage in comparison to the existing grassed playing field, for benefit of the club, partner organisations and sports clubs and in the surrounding area.
“The new pitch will offer a variety of football pitches and training areas within the same enclosed playing space to support development plans into grassroots football.
“In accordance with The Football Association’s current technical guidance, the aspiration is to introduce multiple pitch markings to gain the maximum football developmental outcomes and benefit from the site footprint.
“This surface type is recognised as the most suitable artificial playing surface for community football and youth football development. This surface type is credited as ‘preferred football surface’ and ‘surface for high-level competition and training’ within Sport England’s guidance document.”