Stoke Newington School welcomed Arsenal Ladies FC defenders, Vyan Sampson and current student, Lotte Wubben-Moy, to officially unveil their new state-of-the-art third generation artificial grass pitch recently, thanks to a grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which is delivered by the Football Foundation.

The facility is set to raise football participation by 37% and will serve as a key sports hub in Hackney, being used all-year-round by a number of local grassroots clubs, including: Stoke Newington Youth FC; Stoke Newington Girls FC and Athletico FC.

Arsenal in the Community will deliver a number of weekly sessions on the pitch including girls’ Under-13s training every Wednesday, alongside sessions for women, boys and girls every Saturday.

Local charity Young Hackney will also use the new 3G playing surface, working alongside Stoke Newington School’s Year 11 and Sixth Form students to help them attain coaching qualifications, while also working to reduce anti-social behaviour and promote community engagement.

Through this project, Stoke Newington School worked in partnership with the Football Foundation and London FA to develop a five-year Football Development Plan – a long-term vision for how sport will be played at the new facility.

The new all-weather pitch was made possible thanks to a £279,676 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which provides grants towards developing new or refurbished grassroots football facilities.

Since 2000 the Football Foundation Funding Partners’ investment has provided 286 grants worth £27.2m towards grassroots sports projects worth over £66m across the whole of London. The project also received £20,000 from the Arsenal FC Foundation.

The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund is funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government, via Sport England. It is delivered by the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity. Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded around 15,000 grants worth nearly £580m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of just under £800m – over £1.4bn of investment into the grassroots game.

By providing more high-quality facilities, coupled with coaching at the appropriate age group, the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund aims to improve the experience for regular players as well as attracting new players to the game. Many of the new state-of-the-art facilities will serve to strengthen the connection between professional football clubs and their local communities, particularly in the most deprived areas of the country, through the professional clubs’ community trusts’ outreach work.

Arsenal FC Ladies and England Under-19 defender, Vyan Samspon, said:

“To see the new 3G pitch here at Stoke Newington School is just fantastic. These types of facilities do so much for local communities right across the country and it’s great to know that so many people from so many different backgrounds will be able to enjoy their sport at a really top-quality facility.”

“I’d like to thank the school for inviting me along to open the pitch. I’m so proud that The Arsenal Foundation can support projects like this. It’s important that The Arsenal Foundation creates pitches across North London. It gives young people a chance to play in a safe environment and it’s great to see that it’s also been supported by the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund. It’s helping the development of grassroots sport.”

Annie Gammon, Headteacher, Stoke Newington School, said:

“Thank you so much to Vyan and Lotte for officially opening our wonderful new 3G pitch. I’d also like to thank the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, Arsenal and our PE team for fundraising and providing us with this resource.

“We are pleased to be able to serve our students and the local community with this state-of-the-art facility that will aid the development of grassroots sport in the Stoke Newington and Hackney area.”

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said:

“I am delighted that a grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund has enabled Stoke Newington School to build a fantastic new 3G pitch. This development will provide a real boost to sport in the local area and a special thanks must go to Arsenal Ladies FC’s Vyan Sampson and Lotte Wubben-Moy for officially opening the new facility.

“Since 2000, the Football Foundation has supported grassroots projects worth more than £1.4bn, investing into areas where the need is greatest and where it will have the biggest impact in terms of getting more people playing football and a wide range of other sports.

“With this funding, provided by the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England, we are helping to improve community sports facilities across the country and thereby the playing experience of those who take part. This latest project in Stoke Newington is the latest addition to the inventory of modern community sports sites we are developing that cater for the needs of local people who want to play sport purely for the love of it and to stay healthy.”