Community Sports Hub receives £3.5m funding

Construction on the new hub is expected to start in autumn and be completed by 2026

A new Community Sports Hub has received a grant of £3.5m from the Premier League, The FA and government’s Football Foundation.

Construction on the new hub, which will be located on the outskirts of Hailsham, East Sussex, is expected to start in autumn and be completed by 2026.

Wealden District Council said it has been working with the Football Foundation, a charity which delivers grassroots facilities, on the plans.

The hub will provide sports and community facilities which can be used all year round.

The funding has been awarded to the council through the Football Foundation’s Hubs Programme.

As part of the funding agreement, the site will be operated on a not-for-profit basis by the charity Leisure United and managed by The National Football Trust.

Any surplus income generated from the facility will be invested into local grassroots sports.

'Fantastic news'

The hub will consist of two floodlit full size 3G pitches, four dual use floodlit netball/tennis courts and two padel tennis courts plus other community facilities such as a café and meeting space, skate park, a children’s play area and a pathway around the site.

Councillor Kelvin Williams said: “This award follows many months of working with the Football Foundation, local clubs and our communities and strengthens our relationship and highlights the importance of having this type of facility within Wealden.”

Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said the foundation was working with partners to "transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England".

“This grant award to Wealden council towards developing a new Hub is fantastic news for the local community and will help give more people access to a great place to play," he added.