Pupils and football fans will benefit from the creation of a new 3G pitch on Romney Marsh.
The floodlit, all-weather artificial grass facility will be built at The Marsh Academy in New Romney, which is already home to a leisure centre, theatre, and cinema.
The new pitch has been made possible thanks to a £932,000 grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.
It will provide quality training and match facilities all-year round, whatever the weather.
It will be used by The Marsh Academy’s students during the school day and made available for use by local community teams during evenings, weekends and holidays.
Construction is due to start in August and the new facility is expected to open in January.
Shaun Simmons, school principal, said: “We are delighted to announce the start of construction on our new 3G pitch, which will significantly enhance sports provision at The Marsh Academy and offer a valuable facility for the wider community.
“This marks an exciting milestone for us, and we extend our sincere thanks to the Football Foundation and other funders whose support has made this possible.
“We look forward to seeing the positive impact this development will have on our community for years to come.”
Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government – to transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England by delivering projects like this across the country.
“Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities.
“This grant award to The Marsh Academy towards developing a new 3G pitch is fantastic news for the local community and will help give more people access to a great place to play.”
The project has been supported by an additional £223,200 of funding from The Marsh Academy, The Rural England Prosperity Fund, The Roger DeHaan Charitable Trust, New Romney Town Council, Folkestone & Hythe Council Ward Grants and contributions from each of the partner clubs, New Romney Youth FC, Lydd Town Youth FC and Hythe Town Youth FC.
