Former West Ham United and England striker Tony Cottee cut the ribbon to open one of “the biggest and most modern school pitches in England” at Plume School in Maldon last Friday, joining a posse of local dignitaries who witnessed the first tournament taking place on the brand new artificial grass surface.
The Fambridge Road school marked a glorious conclusion to Maldon Community Leisure’s project with an opening ceremony for councillors and officials, who also enjoyed an Under 16s competition on the innovative pitch which will be available for use by the local neighbourhood as well as students thanks to a joint venture between the school and Maldon District Council worth over £500,000 in total.
Cottee declared the pitch open in the presence of MP John Whittingdale, town and district councillors and representatives from Plume, Maldon District Council, the Essex County Football Association and the Football Foundation. Guests met students of Plume Football College, saw Year Ten and Eleven pupils using the school’s recently-installed climbing wall, and saw student Callum McFedries-Pitt presented with his certificate for winning a competition to design a logo for Maldon Community Leisure.
Speaking of his delight at the success of the project, ECFA County Development Manager Brendan Walshe said: “We’d like to congratulate all concerned for their hard work and dedication in developing this new 3G artificial grass pitch. The new provision represents another investment to improve football facilities across Essex and it will have a long lasting legacy as well as an impact for both the school and the local football community, who were also key partners in the development of this facility.”
The pitch will be used by students during school hours but will also be available for use by community groups at other times. It is already proving popular, with some weekday evenings already fully-booked. The project is being funded by Plume, who provided £100,000, and Maldon District Council, who contributed £175,000. A further £289,565 was supplied by a grant from the Football Foundation and the remaining £100,000 came from Essex County Council’s 2012 Olympic Legacy Fund.
Matthew Lock recently became the Football Development Officer who will oversee the everyday operations of the pitch and he additionally expressed his pride at the construction of such an impressive venue. He added: “This is going to create numerous opportunities for not just the staff and pupils of Plume, but the whole community to play, teach and coach on a fantastic surface. I plan for this to be the epicentre for football in the area and believe this facility enables improvement in all areas from grassroots up.”
The ceremony also marked the latest triumph of the Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports’ charity funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government which directs £40m every year into grassroots sport. Chief Executive Paul Thorogood commented: “We commend the club and the Essex County FA for their hard work in making this happen. Sport is playing a central role in helping people to stay fit, strengthen communities and promote responsibility amongst young people.”