Football pitches to be built at city music venue

Foo Fighters, fronted by Dave Grohl, played at the venue in 2011

Two full-sized football pitches and training grids will be built in a music venue that has hosted Michael Jackson, Oasis, Queen and Foo Fighters.

MK Dons said planning permission had been granted for the installation of first team pitches at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes.

The League One club hoped they would be in operation by the end of the year.

The open-air amphitheatre was built in 1973 and held its last concert in 2015.

Pete Winkelman, (left), chairman of MK Dons, has been working to move the training ground to the site for several years

Green Day played at The National Bowl in June 2005

The club said: "This is the first phase of the club’s relocation of the training ground to the National Bowl, which will see us install two full-sized grass football pitches and four training grids on the plateau of the Bowl."

The venue would still hold concerts and be used by Milton Keynes Cycling Association, it had previously said.

The National Bowl has a 65,000 capacity and opened in 1979