Haddenham Parish Council Awarded Funding to Provide New Football Facilities
People living in the Haddenham area are set to benefit from fresh investment into local football facilities thanks to a £503,292 grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.
This investment will enable Haddenham Parish Council to provide new grass pitches, a pavilion, car park and access road at Newtown Road, Haddenham. The site will be used by Haddenham Rovers Colts teams for training and matches, with additional recreational space available to the whole community as a result.
These new facilities represent a significant extension on the existing sporting facilities in Haddenham, which are not able to cope with the demand from such a successful Colts Club. The Club currently has 11 teams playing across just 3 pitches with many children having to travel outside of the village to play on hired pitches.
The wider community will benefit from this additional space by way of a further 6.5 acres of recreational land for public use outside match times. A circular walk connecting the west side of the village to existing rights of way on the south will be popular with many residents.
This project has been supported by an additional £305,000 from East Cambridgeshire District Council. With funding also forthcoming from Haddenham Recreation Charity, Haddenham Rovers Colts and Haddenham Parish Council itself.
Katie Critchley, Football Development Manager for Cambridgeshire FA said: “Haddenham Parish Council and Haddenham Colts Football Club have worked tirelessly to provide an additional facility to enable sustainable growth of the village sports and activities. This new facility is much needed in addition to the recreation ground and we’re extremely pleased and very grateful that the project has been successful with a funding application to the Football Foundation. Congratulations and well done to all involved! We look forward to working with you to bring the project to life.”
"As the local Member of Parliament, I threw my support behind this bid because I could see the significant benefits this project would create for the entire village sports community, including more space for existing teams to play, higher quality training sessions and less pressure on the recreation ground, which is shared with the village cricket club.
"This grant also means that the village will have the necessary resources available to accommodate future talent, as it has done consistently over the last few years."
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.
“This grant award to Haddenham Parish Council towards developing new grass pitches and a pavilion is fantastic news for the local community and will help give more people access to a great place to play.”
Grayham Roper, Chairman of Haddenham Rovers Colts Football Club, said: “I am delighted that this funding has been secured. The additional pitches and quality facilities, will allow the Club to flourish and grow, providing more local children with the opportunity to play football. I’d like to thank the team behind the application for their hard work and dedication throughout.”
