Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, welcomes the news that the new community sports hub which will be located on the outskirts of Hailsham has received a grant of £3.5m through the Football Foundation’s Hubs Programme.
The hub will provide sports and community facilities which can be used all year round, including two floodlit full size 3G pitches, four dual use floodlit netball/tennis courts and two padel tennis courts plus other community facilities such as a café and meeting space, skate park, a children’s play area and a perimeter pathway around the site.
The Football Foundation is the Premier League, The FA and Government’s charity that delivers improved grassroots facilities. As part of the funding agreement, the site will be operated on a not-for-profit basis by the charity Leisure United and managed by The National Football Trust. Any surplus income generated from the facility will be invested into local grassroots sports.
Construction on the new hub is expected to start this autumn and be completed by 2026.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Funding for grassroots sports is essential for enhancing physical and mental wellbeing and it is great news that our communities will benefit from a grant of £3.5 million that will help deliver a new sports facility on the outskirts of Hailsham. This much-welcome boost will create more accessible opportunities for all residents to participate in sports and I look forward to seeing the progress of the project over the coming months. For several years I have been working with the Premier League and secured support for several football clubs in Sussex Weald including in Hailsham and Crowborough and I will continue to campaign for improvements to our local facilities.”
