The Football Foundation joins the University of Leeds to celebrate the opening of a new football Hub

Sports Park Bodington in the north of the city has been transformed into an impressive sports facility boasting three full size LED floodlit 3G Football Turf Pitches (FTPs), a four-team changing pavilion with community café, meeting space, and a car park. This transformation has been made possible thanks to a £4.3m grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation. 

The site will be home to seven junior partner clubs whose 217 teams will have access to fantastic facilities alongside six senior clubs who will use the site for training and match play.  

In addition the facility will host the University’s sports programmes which currently only have access to one full-size 3G FTP. Through the changing pavilion and community café, it will also support West Riding County FA to deliver a broad range of recreational programmes and activities for the wider community. 

Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “It is great to see this fantastic facility open today here in the north of Leeds. It is 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 at schools, colleges and universities, like the one here at Sports Park Bodington, are vital to this work and will enable more people in and around the city to have great places to play. 

Suzanne Glavin, Head of Sport & Physical Activity, at Leeds University, said: “The University is proud to be opening a new facility to support our students and the local community in north Leeds.   

“As well as providing further investment in the student experience we’ve been able to create a new space for local football clubs in the region and we hope that it will inspire many more people to become active.  

“We’re very grateful to the Football Foundation for helping to make this happen and looking forward to working with our partners to develop new ways to support the community.”  

“We know that facilities at schools, colleges and universities, like the one here at Sports Park Bodington, are vital to this work and will enable more people in and around the city to have great places to play. 

The Hub at Sports Park Bodington is a result of extensive work between the Football Foundation, West Riding County FA, Leeds City Council and University of Leeds to progress the development of four Hub sites in Leeds that together would provide 13 new full-size FTPs responding to the need for sporting facilities in and around the city.  

As well as Bodington Football Hub, the Foundation is working with the council to develop three Hubs – at the former Matthew Murray High School site in Holbeck, Woodhall Sports Ground in Pudsey and Green Park in Temple Newsam.