Luton football hits the big time

FA PRESS RELEASE ABOUT CRAWLEY'S BIG DAY THIS WEEK
Sir Trevor Brooking will be formally opening two of Luton’s leading grass roots projects as he joins local dignitaries, young players and officials of Crawley Green Sports & Social Club and teachers and pupils at Ashcroft High School to kick off their outstanding new facilities.
Grants totalling £641,265 have been provided by the Football Foundation, the country’s biggest sports charity to provide a state-of-the-art pavilion at Crawley Green and a brand new artificial pitch at Ashcroft School, to be shared between local players, clubs and pupils.
The ceremony will take place at 1.30pm on Saturday 9 July. Crawley Green Recreation Ground, Crawley Green Road, Luton,
LU2 9AG. Sir Trevor will then visit Ashcroft School to open their new pitch.
A £286,315 cash bonanza from the Football Foundation, the UK’s largest sports charity has enabled the Luton-based club to construct the new pavilion, which now houses six changing rooms for male and female players alongside social areas and fully inclusive spectator facilities at the Crawley Green Recreation Ground. The cash boost is part of a £9.4m Community Club Development funding package developed by Sport England, the Government and the Football Association to forge stronger links between the country’s leading junior football clubs and their local communities. The Football Foundation was tasked with distributing the funds, which will help to provide quality coaching and safe environments for young people to enjoy the national game.
The funding will establish Crawley’s place as one of the leading junior clubs in the area, providing regular football for over 340 players of all ages and abilities. An emphasis will be placed on creating more opportunities for new players and the club expect membership to increase by over 100
Tony Talbot, Chairman of Crawley Green Sports and Social Club, welcomed the opening:
"With the help and support of the Football Foundation the new facilities will be the forefront of further improving the quality and quantity of football at Crawley Green, and will ensure that we will continue to act as a focal point for the community."
Links will also be formed with the nearby Ashcroft High School who received a £354,950 grant from the Foundation to fund a new artificial pitch and install pitch drainage at their site. Club members and pupils will share both facilities, ensuring maximum usage both during and after school. Previously the school’s 542 girl pupils have had no opportunities to play the national game due to the demand on the pitches, which have also suffered recently from waterlogging. The new artificial pitch will allow the girls to play football as part of their games lessons and at specially created after school coaching sessions. The participation rates amongst boys is also expected to soar.
The Football Foundation is dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of the game, constructing modern football facilities, developing football as a force for social cohesion and as a vehicle for education in communities throughout the country. Funded by the Premier League, the Football Association, Sport England and the Government, the Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity, having already funded 1,300 projects worth over £300 million.