Just over 6years ago we consulted our members in how best to develop our club, the clear message was to recruit and to retain what we already had, to do this we needed to improve our coaching, the message from the coaches was improve our facilities, now 3 years of planning and the dream has been realised.
We are proud to announce that Penkridge Junior’s are part of a team that has secured funding to build a brand new synthetic football pitch, bringing state-of-the-art facilities to Wolgarston High School in Penkridge.
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Youngsters secure dream result with £500,000 grant
Young people and the wider community in and around South Staffordshire will soon benefit from a brand new synthetic football pitch and refurbished changing rooms.
Nearly £500,000 has been granted to Wolgarston High School from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation, and Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund, to build a new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch (AGP) and upgrade the school’s changing facilities.
Penkridge Juniors FC, Stafford Rangers Juniors FC, Wolgarston High School, South Staffordshire Council and Staffordshire County Council secured the money, which will create state-of-the-art facilities for local football clubs.
The changing rooms will be upgraded to accommodate a multitude of local sports clubs and teams that currently use the leisure centre, including those that travel to use the facilities from the surrounding Black Country.
The site will play host to the majority of Penkridge JFC and Stafford Rangers JFC’s training and fixtures, and the Mid Staffs Junior Youth League will use the site for Mini-Soccer fixtures at Under 7 to Under 10 level.
Wolves Community Trust will also use the pitch on weekly basis to deliver coaching sessions and inclusion projects.
Funding for the scheme has come from two sources. The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund has provided £342,803 for the pitch, while a further £150,000 has been given by the Inspired Facilities Fund for the changing rooms.
Cllr Ben Adams, Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills at Staffordshire County Council commented: “This grant award is great news and means more people in South Staffordshire and beyond will have greater access to a wide variety of sports, be able to learn new skills and enjoy healthier, more active lifestyles.”
Cllr Mary Bond, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, South Staffordshire Council said: “This project is an excellent example of public and private organisations coming together for the good of people in South Staffordshire, and I look forward to seeing it progress.”
Norman Mence, Chairman, Penkridge JFC, added: “As Penkridge Juniors enter its 30th year, what better way to celebrate than seeing ideas come fruition thanks to hard work that is a credit to our Club, all partner organisations and the local community. This project will provide an outstanding opportunity for the Club with players being able to train and play on one of the best facilities in the region, and ultimately allow the Club to fulfil its development goals of adding Under 21 and adult teams to its roster.”
Philip Tapp, Headteacher, Wolgarston High School, observed: “The school and local community will benefit immensely from the much improved facilities, which will also be available to the public and local community sports clubs. We are convinced that the project will help to inspire a new generation of sports men and women in the South Staffs area and beyond.”
The funding will be further boosted by an extra £320,000 from Penkridge JFC, Stafford Rangers Juniors FC, Wolgarston High School, South Staffordshire Council and Staffordshire County Council.
