New 3G artificial grass pitch opens in Bury to boost grassroots sport

A state-of-the-art 3G pitch has been officially opened by Bury Football Foundation and Bury Council at Goshen Football Centre.

The new 3G pitch was made possible thanks to investment from the Premier League, The FA, the Government's Football Foundation and Bury Council.

After netting a £524,054 grant from the Football Foundation, work begun on the site in early 2020 and was completed later the same year. Thanks to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions, the facility is now operating at full capacity. The new facility replaces the old sand-based pitch built in the 1980s.

The grant enabled Bury Football Foundation to provide a long-term sustainable home for the charity to provide all kinds of football activity for children and adults.

The new facility comprises a state-of the art full-size playing surface, replacing the old facilities that were taken out of the action by the floods caused by Storm Eva in 2015.

The site will be used by more than 350 members and volunteers of Bury Football Foundation across all age groups and demographics, including provision for walking football and disability football; local grassroots clubs; Bury school games for all interschool competitions throughout the year; the Bury Junior School Sports Association catering for primary schools football development; and many more. All provision on site will support the Football Development Plan to grow participation for all.

The charity worked in partnership with the Lancashire FA to secure the Football Foundation funding, and with Bury Council who contributed £180,000 towards the project.

Alison Warwood, trustee of Bury Football Foundation, said: “We would like to thank the leadership of Bury Council for their unwavering support, without whom the project would not have happened. Thank you to the Premier League, the FA and everyone who has helped to achieve a sustainable and long-term future for the site as a whole and with it the development of football across the borough.”

Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “We are delighted that Goshen Football Centre is now open to the public after receiving Football Foundation investment.

“Good quality facilities support the health of local people and communities, which is why we’re investing in projects like this across the country with funding provided by the Premier League, the FA, the Government and Sport England.”

Councillor Andrea Simpson, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Bury Council, said: “We know, from the Covid lockdowns, how important fresh air and exercise is for people’s physical and mental health. These facilities will be warmly welcomed by the local community, and make it easier for people of all ages – particularly the young – to take up sport and get into healthy habits for life.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 29 September 2021.

Picture: At the official reopening are young players from Bury FC Foundation, with (back, from left) Ben Miles (facility manager, Bury Football Foundation); Alison Warwood (trustee and secretary, Bury Football Foundation); Diane Golding (chairperson and welfare officer for Bury FC Foundation); Cllr Alan Quinn; Cllr Clare Walsh; Cllr Shaheena Haroon; and Lee Boyer (Lancashire Football Association).

Notes to editors:

About the Football Foundation

The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation is the largest sports charity in the UK. It champions and supports fair access to quality football facilities for everyone, regardless of postcode, gender, race, disability or place.

The Foundation receives money from the Premier League, The FA and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, through Sport England. This is matched with partnership funding and awarded as grants to create outstanding grassroots facilities that enable better games and attract more players, helping to transform communities.

Since 2000, it has awarded 17,600 grants to improve facilities worth more than £710m – including 942 artificial grass pitches, 6,426 natural grass pitches and 1,200 changing facilities. This has attracted an additional £940m of partnership funding – totalling over £1.6bn investment in grassroots football so far.

Through the Foundation, the Premier League, The FA, DCMS and Sport England have come together to create the National Football Facilities Strategy (NFFS) that will guide work over the next 10 years to transform many more local facilities. Local Football Facility Plans (LFFP) are being created to identify priority projects where demand is greatest, and the impact will be strongest and help stimulate the action required to deliver them.

Visit footballfoundation.org.uk for more information on the Foundation.