Laurus Ryecroft has been awarded a £748,000 grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation to build a new 3G pitch to help turbocharge women’s and girls’ football in Tameside.
The new pitch at the school, will be one of at least 30 set to benefit from The Lionesses Futures Fund – a £30 million cash injection from the Government and The FA delivered by the Football Foundation. The pitches celebrate the Lionesses roaring to victory at the 2022 UEFA EUROs and their achievement of making the final at FIFA World Cup 2023 and will help meet the growing demand for women’s and girls’ football.
Since the Lionesses lifted the trophy in 2022, 68,000 more girls are playing football compared to before the tournament. However, too often, badly lit pitches, unsuitable changing facilities and late-night kick-off times put women and girls off taking to the pitch.
Each Lionesses Futures Fund site will prioritise access for women and girls through reserved peak-time slots and welcoming changing facilities to create a best-in-class experience.
The £748k grant awarded to Laurus Ryecroft will contribute towards developing a new 3G pitch and toilet block to ensure the facilities are female-friendly and inclusive, to accommodate over 100 teams within five years of opening, including 19 female teams through Ashton Pumas Girls FC. The new facility will also accommodate a full-size compliant rugby pitch and be used by Aldwinians RUFC, who already have an existing partnership with the school.
The grant will also be used to make improvements to the existing car park and relocation of cricket wickets at the school and will enable Curzon Ashton to expand their provision to the wider community by hosting military veterans, disability and mental health sessions, delivered by the Club’s community foundation.
This project has also been supported by an additional grant from the Law Family Educational Trust, a charitable trust committed to ensuring state educated children develop and benefit from participation in a whole range of activities, not just academic subjects.
Rob Clare, Sports and Community Development Director at the Laurus Trust said:
“We are delighted to receive this grant from the Football Foundation, which will benefit Laurus Ryecroft and the local community. The funding will be instrumental in growing women’s football and preserving the inspiring legacy of the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph.
“This investment will make a significant impact across our whole community, helping to meet the demand for women’s and girls’ football.”
Colin Bridgford, CEO and Senior Safeguarding Lead at Manchester Football Association added:
“This will be a huge asset for the local community, and we are incredibly excited about the impact that this investment and development will have and the opportunities it will create for women and girl’s football in Greater Manchester.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with everyone at Laurus Ryecroft on this funding application and to see their commitment to grow the female game and prioritising activity that will help to get more women and girls involved in football.”
Robert Sullivan, CEO of the Football Foundation, said:
“The Lionesses Futures Fund builds on the Football Foundation’s biggest ever commitment to providing equal access to grassroots facilities for women and girls.
“Over 8,500 women’s and girls’ football teams were playing at sites that have benefitted from Football Foundation funding last season, whether that be for new goalposts, improved grass pitches or brand-new changing pavilions and 3G pitches.
“Thanks to the funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government, we’re delivering 30 pitches like this across the country to support the growing demand for football we’ve seen following the Lionesses’ inspirational success.”
To find out more about the Lionesses Futures Fund, visit the Foundation’s website: https://footballfoundation.org.uk/news/history-making-lionesses-recognised-with-the-lionesses-futures-fund