Dewsbury school awarded nearly £200,000 to upgrade its 3G football pitch

This grant will enable the academy to improve the quality of its physical education and extra-curricular provision, while also supporting a number of local football teams, including Dewsbury Rangers who give more than 200 players the chance to play football each week, to improve their training and match play facilities.

Students of the academy and local players will be able to enjoy a better quality 3G pitch which will represent a significant improvement on the existing surface, which was in need of major renovation.

St John Fisher worked with the Football Foundation and the County Football Association to secure a £196,340 grant towards the project from the foundation, the FA and the Premier League.

Andy Graham, assistant head teacher and the academy’s project lead, said: “The new surface will offer increased opportunities for our local community to play football on a top of the range facility.

"We are delighted that the Football Foundation has supported our grant application, by providing 70 per cent of the total project cost.

"The academy has worked hard to secure the required finances as we believe this will be a fantastic facility for both our academy and local football clubs to enjoy for many years to come.

"We are immensely proud to have this new facility, and I’m sure our students and local clubs will be too.”

Sarah Wilkinson, head teacher of St John Fisher Academy, added “The installation of the new 3G surface is incredibly exciting and we are very much looking forward to seeing our students and the local community enjoying the new facilities.

"The pitch will greatly enhance our physical education offering and permit a good range of after-school activities.”

Andrew Shuttleworth, head of football development at the County FA, said: "The West Riding County Football Association welcome this investment into providing a state-of-the-art 3G artificial grass pitch at St John Fisher and would like to congratulate those involved in helping to achieve a sustainable and long-term future for the site."

Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This grant award to St John Fisher Catholic Voluntary Academy towards developing a new community 3G artificial grass pitch is great news for the local community.

“It will support people’s ability to play our national game locally and therefore help unlock football’s many benefits to physical and mental wellbeing. That’s why we’re committed to transforming the face of grassroots football facilities in this country.

"It’s therefore very welcome news to hear that this funding will support the academy in developing football opportunities for their local community.

“The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA, Government and Sport England – to support facility development projects like this across the country over the next decade to transform our grassroots game and unlock the power of pitches.”