Exciting news for footballers in the Bournemouth , Christchurch and Poole (BCP) area as at the beginning of March , the perfect facilities opened up at Rossmore Leisure Centre. With grants from the Premier League , The FA and governments Football Foundation , the new sports Centre worth £726,000 is ready to use.
To make up the rest, the Bournemouth , Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council contributed just under £500,000 , whilst the Talbot Village Trust supported with £25,000. This heavy contribution from BCP reiterates their desire to make the different areas more active , supportive and communal.
A brand new full sized 3G football pitch completed with fencing and floodlights will be a brilliant investment in the Bournemouth/Poole area only a 10 minute round trip away from the University campus.
Toby Pike , Student at Bournemouth University and member of the Fc PortuGeezers Football team said “ It’s massive in terms of the local area , the improvement is massive as people aren’t afraid to invest in Bournemouth as an area , not only to give more accessibility to people but also improves the area massively.”
Hes then followed on by saying, “ It’s great to see the investments from the FA in grassroots football as this will benefits lots of teams , giving us a 3G pitch with fantastic facilities , two seasons ago before the refurbishment we had to train on on a grass pitch which was waterlogged a lot , causing sessions to be cancelled.“
Not only will the facilities be used by University students but a long list including : AFC Bournemouth Women and youth teams , Aldhelms Academy , the Kids Initiative , Longfleet , Rossmore Rockets football clubs and additional clubs and members across the community all managed by Everyone Active.
Everyone active is perfect for Rossmore , as it is a community focused company with a passion for improving the health and wellbeing of local communities
By improving facilities and building Leisure Centres such as Rossmore will help communities participate in different sports and activities as well as be more proactive as a community. With over 200 facilities across the United Kingdom , they are achieving their visions of helping people participate.
“Living only 15 minutes away encourages my housemates and I to come at least three times a week. It is the most relaxing part of our day , after finishing university and coming to Rossmore for a Swim or a quick Session at the Gym.” Toby Pike stated. He then continued to say “ dispute being a university student , it makes us feel part of a community and I love it.
Dean Potter, Director of Grant Management at the Football Foundation, said: “The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners to transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England by delivering projects like this across the country.
The Foundation’s goal is to unlock the power of pitches to transform lives and strengthen communities, ensuring everyone has a great place to play regardless of gender, race, disability or place.
Since opening in 2000 ,the Foundation has awarded more than 23,000 grants to improve facilities worth more than £877 million – including 1,000 artificial grass pitches, 11,000 natural grass pitches and 1,300 changing rooms.
“Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities.”
The 1.25 million price tag is big but with a full size 3G pitch , fencing , floodlights , a refurbishment in the changing rooms , a cycle storage and brand new CCTV makes it all worthwhile.
