MORE than £11 million is set to transform grassroots football in Leicester and encourage more people to get fit and active.
The investment in the city’s sporting infrastructure includes the biggest single grant ever made by the Football Foundation – £5 million.
With further contributions from Leicester City Council, NHS Leicester City, Sport England, local partner clubs and the UEFA Jubilee Fund, the £11.2 million boost will allow the council and its partners to upgrade facilities for football across the city, as well as delivering a range of initiatives to improve the population’s health.
The successful implementation of Leicester’s football strategy will result in 11 upgraded sites, more than 280 new teams, around 3,000 new regular players and coaching for more than 5,000 youngsters.
Laurence Jones Chief Executive of the Leicestershire & Rutland County FA commented, the County FA welcome this fantastic investment by the Football Foundation, Leicester City Council, and Leicester City Primary Care Trust that will provide outstanding football facilities in the City. The award from the Football Foundation is the largest single award ever made to a local authority by the Football Foundation, and County FA are delighted that the City Council and the Primary Care Trust have been able to provide the additional funding that will enable the visionary project to be delivered. The County FA will be working closely with all of the key stakeholders and clubs to ensure that the project is a huge success, and that the City has football facilities to be proud of.
A recent survey by Sport England showed that Leicester had a lower level of participation in sport and activity than the national average – and NHS Leicester City puts the cost of treating ill health related to physical inactivity at around £6m a year.
“Regular exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle and fits with our ambitions to encourage more men, women and children to take part in some form of physical activity,” said Deb Watson, director of public health and health improvement at NHS Leicester City and Leicester City Council.
“This initiative also supports the government’s current Change4Life campaign, which recommends that children need to spend 60 minutes on the move every day to stay healthy and happy.
“Football is a great, fun way to achieve this and, combined with healthy eating, will help to maintain a healthy weight.”
Following extensive consultation, seven grass sites in Leicester were identified as key priorities for football development: Aylestone playing fields; Aylestone recreation ground; Beaumont Park; Hamilton Park; Mary Linwood playing fields; New College playing fields; and Rushey Fields recreation ground.
Four ball courts in the inner city – at Cossington Street, Overton Road, St Andrew’s and Victoria Park – will also be upgraded as part of the strategy.
All the sites will benefit from improved playing surfaces or better changing facilities, offering new resources and new opportunities for the wider community to get involved in sport.
Each site will have its own development plan, with challenging targets for participation, playing standards and coaching. And as the public health element is integral to the project, facilities at each site will also be used to boost campaigns on sexual health, teenage pregnancy and quitting smoking.
Each of the sites will also have a partner club. Eight local clubs – each affiliated with one of the sites earmarked for improvement – will play a vital role as partners in the project.
Aylestone Park FC – will play at the Mary Linwood playing fields. St Andrew’s FC is the partner club at the Aylestone recreation ground. GNG Sports, Leicester City Women, Allexton and New Parks FC, Beaumont Town FC, Nirvana FC and Leicester Bharat FC are the other six partner clubs.