Minister for Sport and Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP, recently officially opened the brand new artificial pitch at Abbey School, Faversham, funded by the Football Foundation.
Constructed by one of the Football Foundation's Framework Partners, Lano Sports, in conjunction with Charles Lawrence Surfaces and Surfacing Standards, the Profoot Max 60 pitch is set to create a lasting sporting legacy for both pupils and the local community. Produced using Lano's high quality monofilament Max yarn, the surface will offer both durability and excellent playing characteristics throughout it's expected life.
The project will enable the school to develop its football activities, ensuring that it has a comprehensive programme for all year groups. The facility will also allow three FA Charter Standard partner clubs to grow and sustain their participation levels, providing them with a quality facility to assist with their training and match programmes. Forecasts suggest that the pitch will be used by over 2,200 people on a weekly basis and Lano's Profoot Max 60 is more than capable of hosting this amount of usage.
The school worked in partnership with the Kent FA to secure a £390,000 grant from the Football Foundation and also received money from Swale charities Bensted and Queenborough Fisheries Trust. Hugh Robertson himself said: "The pitch itself looks fantastic! I didn't really believe back in January or February when we were talking about this that we'd actually get it done in this sort of time period. If you are able to teach young people here in Faversham basic football skills that they need; how to stop a ball, how to pass and move, small sided games that The FA are talking about so much. If you can teach those skills this early you have a much better chance of producing teams that play like Spain or Barcelona.''
Head teacher Catrin Woodend hailed it as a "sporting legacy for the whole community". She said: "We have worked for three years to make this dream a reality. We are practically fully booked with teams including Faversham Town, Dover Athletic, Strike Force, Faversham Town Juniors and five and seven-a-side leagues."
