A community celebration will be held to officially open a new state-of-the-art 3G pitch at Youngs Park in Aylsham.
The Youngs Community Sports Trust and Aylsham Football Club will host the special day on Sunday, September 1 to showcase the JB Postle 3G Arena.
The all-weather facility was completed recently thanks to a £543,816 grant from the Premier League, FA and the Government’s Football Foundation, and £250,000 from the Greater Norwich Growth Board’s infrastructure investment fund.
The arena is needed to help cope with a 100pc growth in football teams and groups using Youngs Park since it opened in 2015.
Members of the wider community are invited to attend the free celebration day, from 12-4pm, to watch the opening ceremony, see the pitch in use and buy refreshments from the barbecue and bar.
The official opening ceremony, including representatives from the Norfolk FA, the Football Foundation, Greater Norwich Growth Board, Broadland District Council, and directors from sponsor JB Postle, will take place just after 12pm.
Youngsters will then take part in a variety of fun activities on the new pitch from 12.30 and, later in the in the afternoon, teams and recreational groups from across the club will further showcase the arena.
Additionally, visitors can also watch Aylsham Women’s first team play in the FA Cup first qualifying round against Fulbourn Bluebirds from Cambridgeshire. This will take place on Youngs Park’s main grass pitch from 2pm.
Ian Potter, football club chairman and trustee of The Youngs Community Sports Trust, said he was proud of everyone involved in the project to build the new JB Postle 3G Arena and stressed it would be open to teams and groups from the wider community as well as Aylsham FC.
“This took three years of planning and a huge effort by everyone involved from the Trust, Youngs Park committee and Aylsham FC,” said Ian.
“The story and the journey has been compelling and reinforces the fantastic work all the volunteers do. We’ve got such a great story to tell – that’s why we’ve got the investment.
“We’re not just doing it for today; we’re doing it for the youngsters and community of tomorrow. We’ve built something that’s going to be here for years to come.”
The number of teams operated by Aylsham FC has more than doubled to 36 since Youngs Park opened in 2015. This includes women’s and girls’ football, which now exceeds 25pc of the club’s activities and continues to grow.
The day to celebrate the official opening of the 3G Arena is being coordinated by Aylsham FC’s Volunteer Lead Sam James, who said: “Lots of people have been working really hard behind the scenes to make it happen so this is a really nice way to come together and celebrate what has been achieved.”
Echoing Ian’s comments about the pitch being a benefit to the wider community, Sam added: “We’re really keen that this isn’t just for Aylsham FC and it is opened up to other teams and groups because a big part of this was building a facility for the community.”
Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government – to transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England by delivering projects like this across the country.
“Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities.
“We’re delighted that the local community in Aylsham will now be able to enjoy all these benefits thanks to the 3G pitch at Youngs Park.”
Cllr Sue Holland, Greater Norwich Growth Board Chair and Leader of Broadland District Council, said: “Ensuring that essential infrastructure projects are delivered alongside housing growth is a priority for the GNGB. It’s also very important that those projects help the wider community, and this is a fantastic example of a sports facility being opened up to local clubs so that as many residents as possible can benefit and enjoy being active.”
Ian Grange, Head of Facilities and Deputy CEO at the Norfolk County Football Association said: “On behalf of Norfolk County Football Association, I am delighted to see the completion of this fantastic project. The project has been several years in the making, so to see this new 3G pitch completed and being utilised by the local community is a proud day.
“Aylsham Football Club are a role model football club for clubs across our county, providing football opportunities for males and females across a spectrum of age ranges, incorporating affiliated and recreational football. The new pitch will enable the club to further expand its membership growth and strengthen its long-term sustainability.
