Construction of a £1.3 million second floodlit 3G pitch has started at The New Croft to enhance the football facilities for current clubs and those in and around the Haverhill area.
A ground breaking ceremony was held on Monday to mark the milestone, attended by Haverhill Community Sports Association [HCSA] Directors Richard Herbert and Howard Cook, and HCSA Facilties & Football Manager, Peter betts.
Also in attendance were Tom Harrison HCSA Chair; Facilities & Football Development Assistant Sophie Grey and Finance Officer, Holly Mayhew.
The project, named the single largest investment in the hisotry of The New Croft since opening it’s doors in 2008, has been partly funded by the Football Foundation after a successful grant of £825k earlier this month.
The construction provides clear commitment to enhancing the football facilities and provision to Haverhill Rovers, Haverhill Borough FC, The New Croft Foundation other local partner clubs local schools.
Over a hundred additional car parking spaces for the new 3G pitch will also be available at Samual Ward Academy with a new entrance point to provide easier access. The carpark will be accessible Monday to Friday at 4:30pm onwards and over the weekend.
Peter Betts, Facilities & Development Manager at Haverhill Community Sports Association said: “Seeing the ground breaking for the first time filled me with excitement this week. This project has such large benefits for our users and the wider community and without a doubt puts our football facilities up there with the best in the area.
“I would like to thank all the partners we have who have made this happen including the directors and staff at The New Croft some of whom have gone over and above in the past year to make this project come to fruition, those people I cannot thank enough. I cannot wait to get this new facility open for the local community in September which falls in line perfectly for the new football season”
Tom Harrison, Chair of Haverhill Community Sports Association said:“This is a fantastic investment into already excellent facilities, it will enable us to increase our offer to all people including youngsters, people with special educational needs and support wellbeing across the local community.
“It is a project I am extremely excited about, our facilities manager Peter Betts has worked extremely hard in a very brief time window to secure grant funding from the Football Foundation and the necessary planning permissions. He has done a remarkable job to make this happen.”
The works are due to be completed in September 2023.