Work is starting to build the first of Northumberland's fantastic new outdoor community Football Foundation PlayZones which will be used for a range of sport and physical activities.
The first three PlayZones will be situated in Alnwick, Ashington and West Wylam, on existing but rundown outdoor multi-use games areas.
The three PlayZones in Northumberland have been made possible thanks to a £370k grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation towards these projects.The council will also be contributing a further £77k and £46k is being funded by The Friends of Eastwood Park for the PlayZone at West Wylam who successfully bid for external funding for the PlayZone at West Wylam. Other local partner organisations have also contributed financially towards the projects
Each of the new facilities will have all-weather playing surfaces, fencing and floodlighting to provide safe, outdoor recreational spaces that can be used throughout the year.
Extensive community engagement has already taken place in each area and the PlayZones are designed to accommodate the most popular sports and activities such as football, netball, basketball and fitness.
The Alnwick PlayZone will be located at Alnwick Community Centre NE66 with work starting on January 13. Work to the site at Eastwoods Park in West Wylam begins February 17 and on the Hirst Park site in Ashington will start on January 20.
If winter weather permits, all three facilities will be open in good time for the Easter Holidays.
Each PlayZone will be locally managed. Alnwick Town Council and Friends of Eastwood Park will be taking the lead on their respective sites, with Northumberland County Council taking the lead at Hirst Park.
Over the next month information on each PlayZone and how to book it or get involved in the running of it, will be circulated through the local organisations.
Conversations are continuing to be held with community groups across the county and it is hoped that further PlayZone sites will be developed in the coming year including ones in Amble, Newbiggin, Bedlington, Hexham and Choppington.
Northumberland County Council is also negotiating a second phase containing an additional eight sites with their application process beginning in June 2025.
Northumberland County Councillor Jeff Watson, cabinet member for Promoting Healthy Lives said:
“These PlayZones are being developed to help more people of all ages to become active in their own community. They are going to be fantastic facilities providing a space for family and friends to meet, to be active and have fun and reap all the mental and physical health benefits that exercise brings.
“Local communities have been involved and supportive from the beginning and we’ve been working with them to identify potential sites and the type of activities they want and need. It’s fantastic that work is now starting, and I’d like to thank all those involved, especially the Sports Development Team at the council who have worked very hard to get these projects to this stage.”
Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation said “When it comes to tackling the greatest inequalities to becoming active, the Football Foundation knows a ‘one-size fits all’ approach can only do so much. That’s why community engagement is at the heart of our PlayZones programme.
“As with all PlayZones, the new facilities in Northumberland have been shaped by the local communities who’ll be able to step out onto the pitch and get active in a way that suits them.
“Thanks to the funding we receive from our partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government, the Foundation will be delivering over 200 PlayZones like this one across the country."
For more information on the Football Foundation PlayZones programme, visit here: https://footballfoundation.org.uk/playzones-programme