A NEW and improved PlayZone has been opened in Eyres Monsell.
The former ball court at Eyres Monsell Community Centre has been completely refurbished in a £260,000 overhaul, with new surfacing, floodlighting, gates, fencing, goals and basketball hoops.
The project has been funded thanks to £195,000 from the Football Foundation and £65,000 from the city council. It follows the city council’s successful £1.8m bid to the Football Foundation’s national PlayZones programme, to develop nine new community multi-sports pitches across Leicester.
PlayZones are safe, inclusive and accessible outdoor facilities that aim to bring communities together through recreational football and other sports. They can be booked for free using the ClubSpark online system, and will have timed floodlighting and secure gates, to help manage access.
To mark the opening of the new court in Eyres Monsell, a day of activities took place, with a football festival for local kids.
There will be a regular programme of structured activities at the court, including weekly football sessions throughout the summer, led by Leicester City in the Community. They will work in partnership with local community organisations to recruit young coaches and volunteers to support activity on the pitch.
Cllr Vi Dempster, assistant city mayor for health and culture, said: “The Eyres Monsell PlayZone is the first to open of the nine that we are creating across the city. High-quality sports facilities like these provide so many benefits – they encourage physical fitness and they bring people together to take part in positive activities. They have all been designed following consultation with local people.
“This represents significant investment in the local community, and young people in the area will really benefit from this resource.”
Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “When it comes to tackling the greatest inequalities to becoming active, the Football Foundation knows a ‘one-size fits all’ approach doesn’t work. That’s why community engagement is at the heart of our PlayZones programme.
“As with all PlayZones, the new facility at Eyres Monsell has been shaped by the local community, who’ll be able to step out onto the pitch and get active in a way that suits them.
“Thanks to the funding we receive from our partners – the Premier League, The Football Association and Government, through Sport England - the Foundation will be delivering over 240 PlayZones like this one across the country."
Matthew Bray from Leicester City in the Community said: “The PlayZones programme aims to engage with local communities across the country to create outstanding sports and activity spaces and tackle inequalities in participation. We look forward to the rest of the pitches opening to provide spaces for the city’s young people and help find the next Jamie Vardy!”
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