Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Football Association unveil Parklife facility in Sheffield

The  Parklife facility in Sheffield
The Parklife facility in Sheffield

The Football Association is joining forces __with a number of partners to promote a £200m scheme to boost the game at grassroots level.

The aim of the project, named Parklife, is to build 30 all-purpose football facilities in towns and cities by 2020.

The FA will work alongside the Department for Culture Media and Sport, the Premier League and local partners.

The St George's Park Sheffield Graves centre, which has already been built __with Parklife project funding, will be officially opened on Wednesday by FA chief executive Martin Glenn and Sports Minister Tracey Crouch.

Interim England manager Gareth Southgate is hoping the scheme will soon reap rewards for the sport nationally.

He said: "When talking about player development you're always thinking about short, medium and long-term strategies. It can't always be about what's right for the next 12 months.

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"We have to invest in young people in this country. The benefit for these sites might not be seen for a decade but we will benefit for decades.

"The investment isn't always about producing that elite player. It's for kids and communities.

"I know grassroots clubs, football or other sports, are a massive part of the local community and it gives kids somewhere to go where they feel safe, where they get a strong positive influence around them and there's a huge amount of social responsibility."

The centre in Sheffield is the second of its kind in the city, while a third is due to open there next year as the FA plans to offer greater access to player and coach development opportunities.

Gareth Southgate (L) chats to Jack Matthews, the County Development Manager of the Sheffield FA
Gareth Southgate (L) chats to Jack Matthews, the County Development Manager of the Sheffield FA

The FA also wants to ensure players have access to qualified coaches and to support the recruitment and development of referees.

FA chief Glenn added: "These hubs are the start of something big. The Sheffield centre marks the beginning of the end of a story all too familiar to the grassroots footballer of poor pitches, woefully inadequate changing facilities and a battle against the elements to get fixtures completed each winter."

Jack Matthews, the FA's Development Manager for Sheffield County, told Sky Sports News HQ: "The quality of the facilities compared to what they were before is unbelievable.

"Games were called off, the pitches were boggy and these pitches are now played on week-in, week-out.

"We are hoping to deliver, from a local point of view, increased participation across the board for males, females and those with disability."

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