New Football Centre in Sheffield Gets the Go Ahead

Sheffield & Hallamshire FA have had their plans for a new £4m ($6.4m) community football centre granted by Sheffield City Council.

The Westfield Community Football Centre will be built on the site of the former Westfield School and will provide the area with a sports and leisure facility that aims to engage and regenerate the community it serves through sport.  The 28 –acre site will also become the new home for Sheffield & Hallamshire FA.

James Hope-Gill, story SHCFA chief executive, ed said: “Receiving planning permission is a significant step forward and we can now concentrate fully on raising the funding and capital needed to make the project a reality.”

Funding for the community project is expected to come from grants via The Football Association, rx The Football Foundation, Sport England and the Rugby Football Union, plus capital raised by Sheffield & Hallamshire FA.

Currently the site, which used to house the old school sports centre, offers eight poorly drained pitches with vandalised changing facilities which are used by over 20 weekend football and rugby union teams.

Facilities on the site will include a full size artificial floodlit pitch, 5-a-side pitches, and up to eight grass pitches which will be used for football, rugby and American football.  There will also be a gym, jogging and cycle track, facilities for archery, a physiotherapy clinic, community multi-purpose meeting rooms/classrooms, a bar with cafe and changing rooms.

The relocation of the Sheffield & Hallamshire FA will centralize delivery of its activities including football governance and development, seminars, coaching, courses, tournaments, festivals, conferences and events.

The County FA aims to start building in 2012 once funding is finalised, with a view to the site opening in 2013.