Third Parklife football hub for Sheffield

The Parklife Football Hubs Programme continues apace with the official launch of the third such facility in Sheffield.

St George’s Park Westfield sports hub has opened at the Isobel Bowler Sports Ground following a £4.38m grant from the Parklife Football Hubs Programme. The grant helped to fund two new third generation artificial grass pitches, improvement works on the site’s four existing grass pitches and a new £7m sports hub. 

The building offers six team changing rooms; officials’ changing rooms; an accessible changing room; coach education room; kitchen and bar; reception and office; first-aid room and spectator toilets. On the second floor is a further two changing rooms, another accessible changing room and a fitness suite. 

The programme, developed by The FA, the Premier League and Sport England, targets areas where pressures on the local game are greatest by creating a sustainable model for football facilities based around artificial grass pitches on hub sites.

The new pitches at St George’s Park Westfield will benefit partner clubs Beighton Magpies FC, Mosborough FC and Sheffield FC Ladies. Previously, these clubs had to travel to a number of sites across the city to accommodate their training needs. Additionally, the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA will deliver Just Play sessions, aimed at 16 to 19 year olds, and plan to establish a new FA Elevens League. The facility will become an Ability Counts League venue, as well as being used for FA Disability Talent Identification Programme sessions. 

It is expected that the partner clubs will introduce 13 new teams, taking their collective total from 21 to 34. This supports an expected increase in football participation onsite of 492 per cent. Improving football provision for girls is also a key objective, and the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA have assigned a Women and Girls’ Officer to deliver skills sessions at the site. Additionally, the pitches will be used as a Girls Regional Talent Centre, which will support the formation of new Under-10, Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 girls’ teams. 

The new hub joins sister sites in St George’s Park Graves, in Norton, and St George’s Park Thorncliffe, in High Green. Operated by Pulse Soccer, the sites have engaged more than 34,000 people over the last year.