Former England Women’s manager Hope Powell and current England and Arsenal Women’s striker, Rachel Yankey, joined the Bedfordshire County FA and local people in the Dunstable area to celebrate the opening of a new 3rd generation artificial grass pitch and changing room facility – a project made possible thanks to a £122,766 grant from the Football Foundation.
The opening saw Hope put on a coaching demonstration involving the Luton Town FC Centre of Excellence Under-16 squad. Flanked by representatives from community clubs and players alike, Rachel Yankey took time out to sign autographs and pose for pictures. Rachel Pavlou, Women’s National Development Manger at The FA, concluded proceedings with an overview on the state of the Women’s game and a Q&A session with Hope and Rachel.
Speaking after the event, Bedfordshire County FA Community Development Officer Julia Ladbrooke said: “Hope and Rachel were thrilled to be part of the opening of such a great community facility. The Luton Town U16 squad were great representatives for the county and Hope was really impressed with the effort they put in during her session”
The new state-of-the-art facility will encourage participation in football, enabling communities to become more active. Local clubs, schools, colleges and other community organisations will feel the numerous benefits for many years to come.
Peter Brown, Chief Executive at The Bedfordshire County FA, said: “This is a fantastic facility and a magnificent boost to football in the county and in particular the local community. We are pleased that Dunstable Town Council have been able to support us in allowing the build on The Peter Newton Recreation ground.
“The financial support received from the Football Foundation has allowed the £300,000 project to become a reality. We are delighted that the facility has already proved so popular and is being used by so many people.”
Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “We are delighted that the local community will have access to these fantastic new facilities and commend the Bedfordshire County FA for their hard work in making this happen.
“In addition I would also like to extend my sincerest thanks to Hope and to Rachel for supporting this event. Their time at the opening was hugely appreciated and will serve as a real source of inspiration to the local youngsters who attended on the day.”
Funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government via Sport England, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity. Launched in July 2000, the Foundation celebrates its tenth anniversary this summer and has so far supported around 8,000 community sports projects worth £930m. Across Bedfordshire alone in the past ten years the Football Foundation has invested in projects worth £12.7m.
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