New £450k sports pitch officially opens in town

The new pitch was officially opened on Thursday

A new £450,000 3G sports pitch has been installed in Derbyshire after six months of work.

After starting construction in July, the new pitch at Ilkeston's Rutland Sports Park was officially opened by the Mayor of Erewash, Kate Fennelly, on Thursday.

Funded by the government, LED floodlighting has also been installed along with new fencing, new divider nets and a multi-use games area.

Erewash Borough Council's lead member for health and wellbeing, Josy Hare, said: "This new pitch is further proof of our commitment to the borough's leisure centres, which we are investing in so residents have access to the very best facilities."

A new football tennis court at the site

The council said Parkwood Leisure, which has invested £1.3m in improving Erewash's leisure centres over the past five years, oversaw the construction of the new FIFA-standard sports pitch.

Glen Hall, managing director of Parkwood Leisure, said the addition of the new multi-use games areas and the pitch would "provide a better range of activities" at the site.

Mayor of Erewash, Kate Fennelly, playing on the new multi-use games area