New football pitch for Shropshire school after council helps secures grant

A grant was awarded by the Football Foundation for a 3G artificial pitch at Burton Borough Secondary School in Newport. It will also cover the cost of installing floodlighting and improving the changing rooms.

A need for increased football facilities in the town was identified in Telford & Wrekin Council’s Playing Pitch Strategy. 

The council and Burton Borough School jointly applied for the grant to provide a full size 11 vs 11 pitch that will be used daily by Burton Borough and the wider community for football and rugby.

Local football teams including Newport Town, Nova United and Newport Girls will be key users. AFC Telford United Foundation also have plans to deliver youth clubs, walking football for men and women, disability football and sessions for army veterans, making the new pitch a real community asset.

Councillor Angela McClements, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure, Tourism, Culture and the Arts, said: “It’s wonderful news, that jointly with Burton Borough School, we have secured funding for a new 3G pitch which will provide much-needed extra capacity for grassroots and competitive football.

“We have consulted closely with the school, parish council, local football clubs, AFC Telford United Foundation and other organisations to understand the need for this new facility. I am pleased that the programme of activities planned, encouraging male and female participation and all ages and abilities, means it will be a valuable community resource.

“We want to encourage children and adults to be active and playing sport is good for both mental and physical health. Securing funding for this high quality 3G pitch demonstrates our commitment to promoting healthier, more active lifestyles.”

Josh Darlington, Head of PE at Burton Borough said: “This new 3G facility will transform the delivery of physical education and sport at the school and develop new and exciting opportunities for extra-curricular sport.

“It will sit at the heart of the community and provide new opportunities for physical activity and sport for Newport and surrounding areas. As part of the project, community links have been further developed with local sports clubs including Newport Girls, Nova United, Newport Town and Newport Salop Rugby Club as partner clubs for the new development.”

'It's really exciting'

Newport Girls has 10 teams and a women’s team and wants to grow further. Helen Bourton is club chair and said: “It’s really exciting news about the funding. At the moment, we have to play all over because there are not enough pitches in Newport. The new pitch will mean we can train twice a week and match play every Saturday.

“I want Burton Borough to be the home of girls’ football which is growing in popularity. We have over 140 girls and this extra provision will give us more opportunities to grow.

“If we can play matches in Newport it will bring more people to our town, too, who will spend their money in our shops and cafes.

“At our heart we are a family club and having this additional capacity will give us more scope to build on this by providing walking football and disability football, for example.”

The overall cost of the project tops £1 million with the remainder being made up of section 106 housing developer contributions, plus contributions from Burton Borough school and Newport Town. 

The pitch will be delivered later this year.