£200,000 funding for new football and sports area in Scarborough
The investment will be used by North Yorkshire Council to transform an existing multi-use games area
More than £200,000 of funding is set to go towards creating a new multi-use games area in a deprived part of North Yorkshire.
Funding of £217,000 has been awarded by the Football Foundation to install a Playzone facility at the Gallows Close Centre, Scarborough.
The investment will be used by North Yorkshire Council to transform an existing multi-use games area to a playzone facility with a 2G surface, which aims to increase use of the facility by a wider variety of user groups and sports, including football, hockey, cricket, and basketball.
The existing “well-used multi-use games area currently comprises a fenced-in tarmac playing surface with goal ends and flood lighting”.
A report notes that the playing surface is in poor condition in places, with historic patch repairs and is in need of re-lining.
“The surrounding fence is in poor condition and not of the standard seen on more modern facilities,” it adds.
The site has a children’s play area with a variety of equipment maintained by North Yorkshire Council and is also home to The Gallows Community Centre (TGCC), which plays a key role in supporting the Barrowcliffe community as a local hub.
The Gallows will manage the facility, including bookings and routine maintenance.
TGCC has a “track record of delivering programmes of work and achieving self-sufficiency through managing grant programmes and engaging volunteers,” the council said.
The programme delivers capital investment funded by the Premier League, the FA and the Government through Sport England and aims to engage with local communities to create sports and activity spaces to tackle inequalities in participation.
The funding aims to deliver new or refurbished outdoor ‘mini pitches’ designed for football and other sports and activities.
According to a council report, the focus is on improving access for priority groups from lower socio-economic backgrounds, women and girls, disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, as well as those from ethnically diverse communities.
The grant offer of £217,074.75 equates to 75 per cent of the maximum project cost, and the remaining 25 per cent or £72,358 will be delivered as match funding by NYC.