Kings Langley School 3G Pitch Opened
A brand new all-weather 3G pitch has opened at Kings Langley School thanks to a £708,117 grant from the Football Foundation
The new facility was made possible thanks to investment from the Premier League, The FA and the Government, which is delivered by the Football Foundation. Their grant enabled Kings Langley School to install a modern full-size floodlit all-weather football pitch, providing much needed facilities to the surrounding area.
Located in the mixed Secondary School and sixth-form in Kings Langley which is attended by over 1,000 pupils, the pitch will benefit children aged from 11 to 18 for curricular and extra-curricular activities.
The new all-weather surface includes markings for 5v5, 7v7, 9v9 and 11v11 football, making it a very versatile addition to the sporting facilities at the school.
The need for a 3G pitch in Kings Langley and the surrounding villages was outlined by the Local Football Facility Plan for Dacorum. This project will support local grassroots clubs giving them a fantastic place to train and play fixtures year-round. The site will also be available as a base for FA Education courses across the season.
In addition, local partner clubs Kings Langley Youth FC, Chipperfield Corinthians Youth and Watford FC CSE Trust have provided support to the project and will benefit from using the site as a training facility as well as for playing matches.
Kings Langley were awarded a £708,117 grant from the Football Foundation to deliver the £956,135 project. The school and clubs worked alongside Hertfordshire FA to compile a five-year Football Development Plan, which is a vision of how sport will be played on site with an emphasis on increasing participation for those with a disability and for women and girls in order to secure the grant.
Kings Langley School’s Deputy Head (School Manager), Diane Bell, said:
“It’s wonderful to celebrate the completion of this project, a big thank you to everyone who’s helped to make it happen. The positive impact on both our students and the wider community will be felt for years to come.”
September has also marked the opening of a new facility at Leventhorpe School in Sawbridgeworth. A Football Foundation grant totalling £405,576 enabled them to install a modern full-size floodlit all-weather football pitch, replacing an aging sand dressed surface that was no longer fit for purpose.
Hertfordshire FA Head of Football Development and Investment, Steve Maker, said:
"Hertfordshire FA is proud to see the opening of two first-class football facilities in our county. Developments like these will help to further increase the opportunities for people to play, come rain or shine."
"We work with schools, clubs and other partners to help secure the necessary funding for facilities projects. Having been involved from the initial stages of both developments, it is always hugely satisfying to see the end result. We can now look forward to these sites delivering significant benefits to the local community for many years to come."
Since 2000, Football Foundation investment has provided 1,315 grants worth £23.4m to support the development of grassroots football across the whole of Hertfordshire, covering everything from goalposts to grass pitch improvements, fencing and floodlight through to new 3G pitches. For more information on how funding could help your club grow, and how we can support you in being able to access the grants follow the link below.