Keir Mather MP opens brand-new 3G Pitch at Selby College

Sam Wright, CEO and Principal of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group (left) and Keir Mather, MP for Selby (right) cutting the ribbon at the brand-new 3G pitch at Selby College.

On Friday 3rd July, Selby College officially launched the newest edition to its estate – a brand-new £1.2 million 3G pitch, funded by the Premier League, the Football Association and Government’s Football Foundation as part of the Lionesses Futures Fund.

Keir Mather, MP for Selby, officially opened the new all-weather football pitch at Selby College, in the presence of staff and governors, local dignitaries, college partners and members of the community.

Selby College is one of 30 sites nationally that was awarded part of the £30 million Lionesses Futures Fund from the Government and Football Association, with the aim of delivering new state of the art 3G pitches to support women’s and girls’ teams across the country.

The £900k grant from the Football Foundation helped support the construction of the new facility that comprises of a FIFA Quality 3G football turf pitch which will be used for a range of activities including football, rugby training and general fitness training.

This trailblazing addition to the College aims to transform grassroots sports provision whilst driving sports development in the area, with the new pitch facilitating a safe and supportive environment for women and girls, from Selby College and the local community, to play football in all weather conditions.

India, Selby College student who studies Sport, said:

“Before the 3G pitch was here, we played football games on the fields which would sometimes get cancelled due to the weather so I think it’s brilliant that we now have this pitch so we can play in all weather conditions.

“There can be some barriers for girls wanting to play football, so I think it’s great that Thursday evenings are reserved for girls because it means my local team, Brayton Belles, has a high-quality pitch to train on.”

Keir Mather, MP for Selby, who officially opened the pitch, spoke at the event’s presentation. He said: 

"It was absolutely incredible to see the finished pitch - it has been a product of lots of hard work by the team at Selby College, supported by funding from the UK Government. The facility will be a fantastic new asset for our town, benefitting school teams and weekend leagues alike. It’ll bring people together around sport, creating moments of real pride in Selby and making sure local people don’t have to travel further afield to access top quality facilities."

Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said:

“The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government – to transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England by delivering projects like this across the country.

“Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities.

“We’re delighted that the local community in Selby will now be able to enjoy all these benefits thanks to the new facilities at Selby College.”

Sam Wright, Principal and CEO of the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said:

“The new 3G pitch will be transformative, not only for our college students, but also the wider community of Selby, enabling them to train somewhere fit for purpose. This development is about more than just sport - it’s about raising aspirations, promoting wellbeing and creating opportunities for our students and community to thrive.
“We’re looking forward to working with local sports and fitness clubs to get the most out of this fabulous facility.”

The all-weather pitch will be available for the community to hire on weekdays from 5pm to 10pm and at weekends from 9am to 5pm, with Thursday evenings reserved for women’s use only. Those wishing to hire out the grounds can do so on the College’s website.

If you want to learn more about Selby College and its facilities, visit the its website.

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