Derby residents set to benefit from multi-million-pound community Hub

Today (17 March 2023), the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation Chair of Trustees, Martin Glenn, visited the site of a new £11.9 million community Hub at the Racecourse Playing Fields in Derby.  

The £11.9 million project has received a £6 million grant offer from the Foundation with the remaining funding provided by Derby City Council (DCC) to provide the local community with a state-of-the-art sports Hub. 

The historic Racecourse site has previously served not only as a racetrack, but also as home to Derby County FC, during which time it hosted an FA Cup Final Replay and an England International match.  

Construction works will start in April 2023 to transform the site into a community Hub, featuring four 3G football turf pitches (FTP), a significant number of grass football pitches, and a changing pavilion with an accompanying café and meeting space.

Identified in the Local Football Facility Plan for Derby, the project will create significantly more opportunities for the local community to come together through sport. The new facilities, which are expected to open in Spring 2024, will be used by three partner football clubs and will enable their number of teams to grow by half within five years of opening. The hub will also host a multi-sport offering through a strength and conditioning gym and a 3v3 basketball area. 

The site will be operated by Leisure United (LU), the charitable operating arm of the National Football Trust (NFT), who will re-invest any surplus revenue generated back into grassroots sport across the city. 

The Racecourse has previously received grant funding from the Foundation for the existing 3G FTP and changing pavilion on the site, which will both be given a new lick of paint as part of this new project. 

Martin was joined by representatives of DCC and Derbyshire CFA (DCFA) as well as the project team to learn more about the plans for the Hub and the benefits it will have on the local community. 

Martin Glenn, Chair of the Football Foundation, said:  

“The new facilities here at the Racecourse will not only provide a boost to sport in Derby, but also a space for the local community to come together, as well as opportunities for jobs during the construction and beyond.  

“Thanks to the investment we receive from our funding partners, the Premier League, The FA and Government, the Football Foundation is working to deliver more Hubs like this across the country so that everyone can have access to great places to play.” 

This project is part of the Football Foundation’s Hubs programme, which has already seen 16 multi-pitch sites open across the country. Over the next 12 months, an additional eight Hubs are due to open, including the one at the Racecourse, to provide safe, accessible and quality facilities for people to come together and play sport.