England manager Gareth Southgate was on hand to unveil a new £1m community football hub in Burton on Tuesday – and is hoping it can help produce more talented players for the country.
The Three Lions boss joined Burton Albion boss Nigel Clough and chairman Ben Robinson at the facility, which consists of a new floodlit all-weather pitch, changing rooms and clubhouse.
And it was all made possible thanks to a £843,510 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the country’s largest sports charity, the Football Foundation.
Southgate, a Football Foundation ambassador since 2005 enjoyed a tour of the new facility, which replaces a previously undeveloped area of Albion’s Pirelli Stadium and will host a range of sporting, educational and community programmes delivered by the club’s Community Trust.
“Throughout my career I’ve always been a big supporter of the grassroots game, and state-of-the-art facilities like this one are its lifeblood,” said Southgate.
“It makes a massive difference in driving up participation in our national game.
“And ultimately all future England players – whether it is the women’s teams, disability teams, youth teams or indeed in the senior men’s team – all of them will start out and develop their skills in the grassroots game, and on grassroots facilities.
“So whether for pure enjoyment or for supporting the development of homegrown talent, the more of these fantastic sites we see built, the better.
