Berwick’s new 3G football pitch is proving hugely popular with local sports groups in and around the town. 
 

The facility is now home to several of the town’s junior and senior football teams including Berwick Juniors, Highfields and the over 35-year old's teams. A new league has also been set up on Mondays with up to sixteen teams playing over the course of the evening.  

While work to construct the new pitch was completed in February, because of lockdown restrictions eager footballers had to wait a little longer before they could put their ball skills to the test. 

Rosie Ingram from Berwick Juniors said: “The pitch is a tremendous asset for the town, it has a fantastic surface and can be used throughout the year. We have children under seven years of age in our young squad and having a facility like this gives them a great sporting start. This pitch will really help us to improve grassroots sport in the area and get even more people involved in this popular team sport. ” 

The new pitch is being managed by Active Northumberland and is situated on the current leisure centre site in Tweedmouth. It is suitable for football matches but with the flexibility to reconfigure it for training purposes or smaller sided games and junior matches.   

Mark Warnes, Chief Executive of Active Northumberland said: 

“This is a great facility not just for Berwick but for the whole of the surrounding area. We cannot underestimate both the physical and mental health benefits that can be generated by being active.  After the long winter and lockdown restrictions due to Covid, people are very eager to get back into sport and the pitch is already proving extremely popular with both young children and adults and creating hours of fun, friendship and fitness.” 

The 3G pitch’s durable, all-weather surface, with porous layers which let water drain through easily, can be played on for 80 hours a week, as opposed to the five hours a week natural grass pitches can withstand. 

After netting a £500,000 grant from the Football Foundation, work begun on the site last August.  Northumberland County Council made up the £255,00 balance of the costs as part of its wider investment in leisure in the town. 
 

Outdoor football changing facilities will be incorporated into the new Berwick Sports Centre and floodlighting will be available to permit play on dark winter evenings.