New all-weather pitches for Withdean Sports Complex
Football clubs and players are celebrating as the council has approved plans to build four small sided 3G football pitches at Withdean Sports Complex.
Work to build the pitches, complete with floodlighting for year-round use, will start later this year on an area near the athletics track, currently used as an overspill car park.
Strong demand
The new facility will help to meet strong demand across the city for all weather football pitches, identified in the 2019 Local Football Facility Plan.
It will also build on the legacy of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 tournament, which saw matches played at the Amex Stadium, and aims to provide more opportunities for women and girls to participate in football.
Delighted!
Welcoming the news, Dave Bridgen, chair of AFC Varndeanians, said: “As an established club playing football at Withdean Stadium, AFC Varndeanians are delighted with the addition of 3G pitches for the wider community.
“We can utilise these new pitches ourselves for our walking football team and ladies social team. It will be a very important addition to facilities in the area.”
Providing the new 3G pitches at Withdean is one of the recommendations of the council’s Sports Facilities Investment Plan, which sets out how sports will be developed in the city over the next 10 years. The plan will see Withdean Sports Centre become one of three major sport and leisure hubs within the city.
New opportunities
Councillor Alan Robins, chair of the Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Economic Committee said: “This new football facility at Withdean will provide so many opportunities for training and recreational play, not just for our local football clubs, but for schools and community groups in the surrounding area.
“It’s great to see Withdean developing as a major sporting hub, as proposed in our Sports Facilities Investment Plan, and enhancing our growing reputation as a major sporting city.”
Over the last few years, pitches at Stanley Deason and Portslade have been refurbished by the council and are now regularly used for training by various clubs and charitable organisations. They include Albion in the Community and Whitehawk, Mile Oak and Hangleton Rangers football clubs.
