A full revamp of the sports facilities at Hickings Lane Recreation Ground in Stapleford will get underway next week.
Contractors will start building two new cutting-edge 3G pitches, a large 11-a-side pitch, and a smaller multi-use games area. These will offer a flatter surface for year-round playability for all sports, not just football, as well as greater suitability for people with disabilities, as there will be more space to move around.
Costing £1.5 million, the pitches are being funded through the £21.1 million Stapleford Towns Fund and a £1.4 million grant from the Premier League, the FA, and the Government’s Football Foundation.
The work, which starts on Monday (10 March) and is due to end in September, is part of the wider Stapleford Towns Fund community pavilion project. During this time, park users will still be able to access the park and use the footpaths.
Once complete, the pitches will be available for the general public to hire. They will also be used by Stapleford Town Football Club and the Steven Gerrard Academy, which will run its first Midlands training sessions from the site in September.
The Steven Gerrard Academy will improve the education, health, and wellbeing of children and young people, create job opportunities, and put Stapleford on the map as a centre of excellence for sport.
Ian Jowett, Chair of Stapleford Town Board, said:
“This significant development is going to be such a valuable asset to our town. Local people of all abilities will be able to benefit from these state-of-the-art facilities that cater for a variety of sports. The pitches have also helped us attract the Steven Gerrard Academy, which will offer huge opportunities to our local young people for education and skills in the sports sector.”
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