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Females to get priority at new £1m football pitch

Martin Heath
BBC News, Northamptonshire
North Northamptonshire Council A group of people, some wearing orange hi-vis, surround a woman who is holding a blue-bladed spade. A man alongside her also has a spade. The blads are in a cut-out section of the surface of a decayed artificial football pitch. There is a yellow digger behind the group and a house in background.North Northamptonshire Council
The construction phase of the Thurston Drive project has been launched

A council said women and girls would get priority access to a new £1m all-weather football pitch.

Construction is getting under way at the site in Kettering, where the existing pitch was condemned as unusable in 2019.

Some of the money for the ground has come from a fund set up to develop women's football.

The county's football association said it was "hugely optimistic" the site would inspire the next generation of Lionesses.

The Thurston Drive ground has been the target of anti-social behaviour and vandalism since it closed in 2019.

North Northamptonshire Council said the existing surface would be replaced by a "new state-of-the-art 3G, all-weather pitch, equipped with new fencing, LED floodlights and a spectator area".

The pavilion will also be refurbished and an athletics club room and cafe will be added for the Harriers Athletics Club, which also uses the building.

The bulk of the £810,330 funding has come from the Premier League's Lionesses Futures Fund, the FA and the government's Football Foundation to "turbocharge opportunities for the next generation of Lionesses".

Google An image of an artificial football pitch surrounded by fencing. It is bordered by trees to the left. There is a house in the background and an athletics track to the right. Floodlights on stands are visible in the background.Google
The existing pitch had been condemned as unusable in 2019

The council said: "Like every Lionesses Futures Fund site, the new pitch at Kettering will prioritise access for women and girls through reserved peak-time slots and welcoming changing facilities to create a best-in-class experience."

The rest of the funding came from the council and the Northamptonshire FA.

PA Media England women's team in white strip holding their arms aloft and cheering. There is a purple arch above them saying "Uefa women's Euro 2022). They are on a football pitch and there is a crowded stand behind them. PA Media
Interest in women's football in the UK has been high since the England team's victory in the 2022 Euros

Kirsty Clarke, the chief executive officer of Northamptonshire FA, said: "As the future operator of this site, Northamptonshire FA will be watching with excitement as the contractors bring the new pitch to life.

"We're all hugely optimistic about the role this site can play to inspire the next generation of Lionesses."

Helen Howell, the council's executive member for sport, said the site would "serve as a fantastic footballing leisure resource for not only women and girls but also the wider local community groups for years to come."

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