- New 3G pitch officially opened by Hope Powell CBE and The FA’s Rachel Pavlou
- Special guests attend launch
- New facility offers more grass roots sports development particularly for women and girls
Tamworth Brough Council have officially opened the new 3G Anker Valley Sports and Community Complex in a ceremony with special guests Hope Powell CBE and The FA’s Rachel Pavlou, on Monday 28 October.
Hope and Rachel officially opened the 3G pitch and spent time with local youngsters during a morning of activities, along with representatives of organisations who supported the funding and delivery of the project including The Premier League, The FA and Governments Football Foundation, Tamworth Borough Council, councillors and community groups.
The day featured a range of activities to celebrate this landmark event including free football coaching sessions and inflatable football fun.
Hope Powell CBE, current women’s technical director at Birmingham City, became England women’s first-ever full-time national coach in 1998. She spent 15 years as Manager, leading the Lionesses to six major tournaments, including two FIFA Women’s World Cups and four UEFA European Championships. In her tenure she guided the team to a historic final of the UEFA Women's Championship in 2009, and managed Team GB at the Olympic Games in London; she also spent five years as manager of Brighton and Hove Albion.
Rachel Pavlou has specialised in the development of women's football at The FA for over 26 years. She is currently responsible for developing football opportunities for female under-represented communities and overseeing the history and heritage of the women’s game. She is also a designated expert in women's football development at FIFA, a trustee at Aston Villa FC Foundation, and a mentor for The FA Youth Programme, Women in Football and the Women’s Sport Trust.
The investment into Anker Valley 3G pitch is thanks to a £513,610 grant from the Football Foundation, section 106 monies and money from Tamworth Borough Council’s football development fund.
The new Anker Valley sports facilities provide more grass roots sports development opportunities for women and girls as well as the wider community with a new all-weather flood-lit 3G football pitch within the existing Anker Valley Sports and Community Complex.
Along with the new pitch, the work has provided 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.
As well as prioritising quality sporting facilities for grassroots football for women and girls, the project also benefits 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 Lewis Smith, portfolio holder for people services, leisure and engagement, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome football royalty to Tamworth to open the new 3G pitch and sporting facility. What an honour to have two renowned women who have influenced, shaped and inspired both women’s and men’s football, join us at our official opening.
“This new pitch and facilities improve the opportunities for the women’s game in Tamworth, offering the chance for female teams to use state of the art facilities at peak times.
“The flexibility of the complex will also offer daytime provision for lots of other communities 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 may in the future go on to have successful footballing careers, but also how many more opportunities this pitch will create for local grassroot clubs, community organisations and members of our community.”
Robert Sullivan, CEO the Football Foundation said: “It’s great the 3G pitch here at Anker Valley, has officially opened. It’s a brilliant example of how investment from our partners, the Premier League, The FA, Government and Sport England, improves grassroots facilities across the country.
“We know that facilities like this one in Tamworth are vital for local communities and will enable more people in and around the area to have great places to play.”
Notes:
£513,610 has been received from the Premier League, The FA and government’s Football Foundation.
This project is also supported by an additional £269,882 from section 106 monies and £30,000 from Tamworth Borough Council’s football development fund.
About the Football Foundation
The Football Foundation is the Premier League, The FA and Government’s charity that delivers outstanding grassroots facilities, more and better places to play, transforming lives and communities where it is needed most.
The Foundation’s goal is to unlock the power of pitches ensuring every community has a great place to play regardless of gender, race, disability or place.
Since its creation in 2000, the Foundation has invested more than £1.1 billion to improve grassroots facilities across the country, including 1,200 3G pitches, 13,000 grass pitches and 1,500 changing rooms. This has attracted an additional £1.4 billion of partnership funding, totalling over £2.5 billion investment in grassroots football so far.
In partnership with local authorities, County FAs and other community stakeholders, the Foundation has created Local Football Facility Plans for every local authority in England. These plans act as a blueprint for providing the grassroots football facility improvements, that each community needs and deserves across the country.
Visit footballfoundation.org.uk for more information on the Foundation and view the Plan for your local area.