ACCRINGTON STANLEY COMMUNITY TRUST AWARDED £1M GRANT FOR SPORTS HUB

Some exciting news has been announced for community sport in Hyndburn. Accrington Stanley Community Trust have been awarded a grant of £1m from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, to create a new community Sports Hub.

The new facility will comprise a brand-new multi-use community building with classrooms, changing rooms, cafeteria, office space and meeting rooms. Sports facilities will include a full-size floodlit third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP), three renovated grass pitches, a new ECB approved artificial cricket wicket and a 75-space car park added to the site. This will replace the current building which was built in 1972 and is now no longer fit for purpose.

The new facility will take approximately six months to construct and will become the new base for Accrington Stanley Community Trust, as well as providing state-of-the-art sports and education facilities for many grassroots clubs, sports groups and local organisations.

Accrington Stanley Community Trust worked with the Football Foundation and Lancashire FA to secure a £1m grant towards the project.

Martin Fearon, Chief Executive Officer at Accrington Stanley Community Trust, said: “To receive a grant of £1m from the Football Foundation is fantastic news and will enable us to create a state-of-the-art community Sports Hub in Accrington. The Sports Hub will deliver much needed sports and education facilities that will drive up participation rates, boost education and employability, and provide brilliant sports facilities for Hyndburn’s grassroots clubs.’’

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “Since 2000, the Football Foundation has awarded 531 grants worth £13.9m across Lancashire County FA towards grassroots sports projects worth £32.3m and it is great to hear that Accrington Stanley Community Trust will be the latest beneficiary.

“Funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government, delivered by the Foundation, will support the club in developing a brand-new Sports Hub for the local community. Made possible by investment from the Premier League, The FA and the Government, via Sport England, the Football Foundation is supporting the grassroots game by improving access to high-quality football facilities across the country.”