Millie Bright returns home to unveil pitch named in her honour at Killamarsh Dynamos

Millie Bright returned to her grassroots club, Killamarsh Dynamos, in Sheffield today to unveil a pitch named in the England and Chelsea FC defender’s honour to recognise her role in the huge success of the Lionesses.

The Millie Bright Pitch is one of several that Killamarsh Dynamos have vastly improved thanks to £100k of funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.

The Millie Bright Pitch is one of 30 Football Foundation-funded pitches that will be named after each of the Lionesses to honour their victory at the UEFA Women’s EUROs and their inspirational performance at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Millie hopes this pitch will inspire the next generation of women and girls to get involved in the beautiful game:
 

Millie Bright said: “I loved playing at Killamarsh Dynamos – I started here when I was just nine years old and some of my earliest memories were made with my mates kicking a ball about on these pitches. The Club was only at the bottom of my road and one of my friends encouraged me down to join them. I never looked back!

“It has been a real honour to see how much the Lionesses’ success has meant to everyone here and across the country. I feel so proud of the whole team who are inspiring women and girls through the nation to get down to their local pitches to play football.”

The Lioness legacy pitches form a key part of the Football Foundation’s HERe To Play campaign, which celebrates the charity’s commitment to delivering grassroots facilities that provide equal access to women and girls.

Robert Sullivan, CEO of the Football Foundation, said: “Millie and the Lionesses are a great showcase of how important quality grassroots facilities are for the women’s game. Many members of England’s squad from the UEFA Women’s EUROs and FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off their journey to the international stage on facilities that have been improved thanks to funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.”

“This year the Football Foundation is directing more money than ever before into supporting the grassroots game and every one of the facilities we fund will provide equal access for women and girls."

"Alongside this commitment, The Lionesses Futures Fund, a £30m cash injection to the Foundation will support the development of approximately 30 new state-of-the-art 3G pitches and accompanying facilities - all designed to prioritise women’s and girls’ football teams.”

DCMS Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Stephanie Peacock, said: "One of our top priorities is to increase access to sport for people across the country, and that includes communities here in Killamarsh.

“We want to make sure that the legacy of our Lionesses' victory and the Three Lions' run to the EUROs Final is felt far and wide, so that the next generation are inspired to take up sport and physical activity - creating a healthier nation and changing lives for the better.”

Michael Atherton, Chair of Killamarsh Juniors Dynamos AFC, said: “We’re so proud of Millie Bright and what she’s achieved. She’s come so far since playing for Killamarsh Dynamos and so has the Club, thanks in no small part to the Football Foundation’s support. Hopefully there’s another future England captain playing on our pitches right now.”

For more information on the Football Foundation’s commitment to Women and Girls, visit here.

To find out more about grants available to help get your pitch match fit, visit here.