Pitch perfect for new 3G Facility at Walsall

A new state of the art third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch was opened at the University of Wolverhampton today with the help of Walsall and Wolves first team stars.

The pitch, at the University’s Walsall Campus, was opened during half-time of the British Universities and College Sports (BUCS) National Trophy match between the University’s Women’s first football team and the Stirling University on 23 November 2016.

Representatives from the University’s Institute of Sport and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Geoff Layer were joined by guests from the Football Foundation, Walsall captain Adam Chambers and Wolves players Nouha Dicko and Jordan Graham.

The new 3G pitch is set to raise football participation by 86% and will be used all-year-round by the University’s recreational and competitive clubs, alongside a number of local grassroots organisations, including: Silverdale FC; The Walsall Junior League and The Walsall Adult League. 

Walsall FC’s Community Programme will also deliver weekly sessions on-site, with a particular focus placed on leadership courses, and raising participation in girls’ and walking football.

Through this project, the University of Wolverhampton established a five-year Football Development Plan (FDP) – a long-term vision of how sport will be played at the new facility – alongside the Football Foundation and Staffordshire FA. The University’s Sport Development Manager will help deliver the FDP outcomes, with a new ‘Female Football Activator’ also to be introduced on-site to help raise women’s participation.

The project was made possible thanks to a £465,047 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which provides grants towards developing new or refurbished grassroots football facilities. It is funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government, via Sport England, and is delivered by the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity.

Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded around 15,000 grants worth nearly £580m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of just under £800m – over £1.4bn of investment into the grassroots game.

Since 2000, the Football Foundation Funding Partners’ investment has provided 200 grants worth nearly £17m towards grassroots sports projects worth over £33m across the whole of Staffordshire.By providing more high-quality facilities, coupled with coaching at the appropriate age group, the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund aims to improve the experience for regular players as well as attracting new players to the game. Many of the new state-of-the-art facilities will serve to strengthen the connection between professional football clubs and their local communities, particularly in the most deprived areas of the country, through the professional clubs’ community trusts’ outreach work.