The Bobby Moore Sports Hub, featuring football pitches named after Sir Trevor Brooking, Paul Ince and Chloe Kelly, has opened in Dagenham, thanks to the largest ever grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, plus strategic support from the Essex County FA.

Located in Parsloes Park, the hub features 16 grass sports pitches and three 3G pitches - one of which is an impressive FA National League System stadia pitch with spectator seating used by local club May & Baker Eastbrook Community FC. The opening event on Thursday 29th February was featured on Sky Sports News, and BBC London also ran a feature.

These multi-million-pound facilities have been funded by a £6.2 million grant from the Football Foundation - the largest ever grant awarded by the charity. This investment adds to the more than £1 billion grant funding awarded by the Foundation over the last 23 years to improve grassroots facilities across the country.

The opportunity to develop the scheme was identified by a strategic partnership held between the Essex County FA and Barking & Dagenham Council, who worked with the Football Foundation and other partners to deliver the hub. The Essex County FA will be using the site to host coach/referee education and development opportunities.

Brendan Walshe, Essex County FA Chief Executive, was delighted with the opening of the new facility, commenting: “We are delighted to have been able to work strategically with Barking & Dagenham Council to enable a significant grant from the Football Foundation. We worked closely with the council throughout the project timeline and seconded an Essex County FA employee to undertake critical community engagement and feasibility work.”

“We congratulate all the partners on the ambition to deliver this high-quality hub and the opportunity it provides to the local community to continue to enhance the rich football history and talent that this local area has.”

“We also warmly thank all the volunteers from the local grassroots community, whose commitment and dedication to providing local participation opportunities, through clubs and leagues, have made the vision of this hub a reality. We look forward to working with all the partners and the grassroots community to enhance participation across all areas of the game for the future.”

The project has also been supported by an additional £6.1 million investment from Barking & Dagenham Council and a further £1 million contribution from the Greater London Authority and the London Marathon Foundation.

As well as World Cup-winning England captain and West Ham United legend, Bobby Moore, the hub pays homage to several local football legends, with pitches named after Paul Ince and Sir Trevor Brooking, both of whom grew up within a stone’s throw of the site. The hub was opened by several past and present West Ham players, including WSL defender Hawa Cissoko, academy graduate Anton Ferdinand and Barking-born Bobby Zamora.

Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking & Dagenham Council, was also enthusiastic about the project: “I’m so proud to see this multi-million-pound project come to life for the benefit of local people. Barking & Dagenham has a rich, historic connection to football. As we celebrate the opening of this brilliant state-of-the-art facility, it’s important we remember the achievements of our borough’s homegrown sporting legends.”

“We’re the birthplace of England’s only World Cup-winning manager and captain, Sir Alf Ramsey, and the one and only Bobby Moore. The Dagenham Invincibles were the greatest women’s football team of World War One… they never lost a single match!”

“Jack Leslie started his remarkable career at Barking FC and broke boundaries as the first ever black player to be called up for England. The list goes on. I hope this fantastic space provides the opportunity to break down barriers and unlock even more sporting successes for generations to come - right here in the borough.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is the sporting capital of the world and it’s great to see the Bobby Moore Sports Hub open its doors in Dagenham. Bobby Moore is one of London’s greatest sportsmen, so it is truly fitting to see him remembered in a space where generations of young talent will come to hone their skills and communities can come together, as we continue to build a better London for everyone.”

Browse the menus above more information on local grassroots football, or click here to find out more about the Bobby Moore Sports Hub. You can also interact with the Essex County FA via the @EssexCountyFA account on Twitter/X, or by searching for ‘EssexFootball’ on Facebook.