Staffordshire Moorlands District Council

LEEK'S top football club has restated its backing for an overhaul of sports facilities at Birchall Playing Fields.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is to replace the outdated 1960s pavilion with a state-of-the-art building, and install a brand new drainage system for the existing pitches.

The package also includes re-grading and drainage improvements for the playing surface at Harrison Park, home of Leek Town FC.

Proposals for the Birchall work will be determined by the council's planning applications committee in the very near future.

And the scheme was welcomed this week by Leek Town chairman Andy Wain, who said: "We remain fully committed to the council's plans for a major overhaul of facilities at Birchall plus an upgrade of the Harrison Park pitch".

The club's renewed backing of the project coincided with an announcement that it had secured a £5,000 Grow the Game grant from the Football Foundation to develop its junior section and become a community club.

Leek Town already has an under-eights team in the Leek and District Lads-and-Dads League but will use the funding to set up a mini soccer crèche targeting five to seven-year-old boys and girls.

Coaching sessions on the astro turf at Westwood College will start on Thursday, April 22 and continue weekly after that in a bid to forge new teams for the local junior league.

Running from 6pm to 7pm at a cost of £1.50 per child, the sessions are open to children of all abilities who are not already signed to a club.

All crèche sessions will be run by FA-qualified coaches checked by the Criminal Records' Bureau. Children and their parents will have to complete a registration form on arrival or beforehand by visiting www.leektown.co.uk.

The Grow the Game cash will also be used to launch a disability section with Leek Gateway Club, an organisation representing the rights of people with disabilities. In addition, the money will help fund formal training of parents and volunteers who will need qualifications to run the new teams.

The initiatives will help Leek Town achieve its ambition of becoming an FA Charter Standard club by the end of this season.

Andy went on: "Leek Town is fully committed to developing as a community club to meet the needs of children and young people who want to get fit and play football, irrespective of ability.

"We relish the prospect of working alongside the council to provide new recreational opportunities for the people of the Staffordshire Moorlands", he enthused.

Cllr Mark Deaville, portfolio holder for leisure, sport, parks and countryside, added: "I'm delighted that we continue to enjoy Leek Town's support for our plans developed in consultation with the local sports community to revitalise facilities at Birchall and Harrison Park.

"I also welcome the club's ambition to grow as a community organisation. It's an aspiration that's right in line with our priority outcome of improved health", he paid tribute.

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