- Work starts 18 March, in readiness for the 2024/25 football season
- Tamworth Academy Girls celebrate at ‘groundbreaking’ ceremony
- New facility will enable more grass roots sports development particularly for women and girls
For International Women’s Day on 8 March, Tamworth Brough Council welcomed Tamworth Academy Girls, a local football academy led by Tamworth Football Club, to Anker Valley Sports and Community Complex to help celebrate the start of work to build an all-weather 3G football pitch at the site.
The work starts on the 18 March, and will be complete by mid-July, in plenty of time for the new 2024/2025 football season.
Thanks to grant money from the Premier League, The FA and government’s Football Foundation, section 106 monies and money from Tamworth Borough Council’s football development fund, there is a total investment of over £800k into local facilities: providing more grass roots sports development opportunities for women and girls as well as the wider community.
As well as prioritising quality sporting facilities for grass roots football for women and girls, the project will benefit local children, young people, adults and elderly residents with targeted active wellbeing sessions, walking football, development centres and provide junior footballers with a state-of-the-art facility for sanctioned fixtures.
Councillor Tina Clements, cabinet member for engagement, leisure and events said: “What a wonderful way to celebrate both International Women’s Day and the start of work to build a new LED Floodlit 3G pitch in Tamworth.
“This project will directly improve the opportunities for the women’s game in Tamworth; offering the opportunity for female teams to use state of the art facilities at peak times.
“The flexibility of the complex will also offer daytime provision for multiple under-represented groups and help deliver the council’s plan to encourage active and healthier lifestyles by providing a network of high quality, accessible outdoor recreation facilities.
“It is wonderful to think that some of the girls who train here in the future may go on to have successful sporting careers, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate International Women’s Day.”
Building on the recent success of the national team, in partnership with Next Generation the venue will host development sessions such as wildcats and squad girls and enable women and girls to train and play competitive football, providing ample opportunity for the next generation of Lionesses.
The investment will see Tamworth Borough Council deliver a new all-weather flood-lit 3G football pitch within the existing Anker Valley Sports and Community Complex, offering opportunities for local clubs and others all round access to high quality facilities.
Along with the new pitch, the work will see new pitch barriers, hardstanding areas with porous asphalt surfacing for spectators, portable goals storage, pitch access to the existing changing room pavilion, sports equipment including dugouts and site furniture, maintenance equipment and store located within a fenced enclosure. State of the art CCTV has also been installed to help enhance year-round site security.
Overall, the work will see a significant improvement on the existing facility which is prone to waterlogging and subsequent fixture cancellations.
Councillor Andrew Cooper, cabinet member waste, recycling and environment said: “Football has been played here since the 1970s, so it is wonderful to see the facility develop with this new all-weather pitch.
“There will be more opportunities for teams to train midweek and weekends on a suitable and sustainable pitch for many years to come.
“The huge success of the 3G pitch at the Tamworth Enterprise College, which has run at capacity since it was opened in September 2020, has led to the support from the Football Foundation to help meet the current demand within our area and offer a facility that our community can enjoy and greatly benefit from.”
The site will be used by local grassroots clubs, community organisations and open to all members of the community.