Newly resurfaced pitches have been installed at Salford Sports Village thanks to investment from developers.

Section 106 money from five developments in the city, which was earmarked for improvement of open space and sports pitch provision has been used to resurface four of the five artificial 5G pitches at Salford Sports Village (SSV) after 14 years of intensive use.

The venue, operated by Salford Community Leisure also houses a gym, studio space, Lower Kersal library and a local nursery. In addition to the five 5G pitches, SSV has 18 grass pitches and welcomes hundreds of players each week.

The centre is also the home of the JP Football League and the Manchester International Football Academy (MIFA), which provides training for 16 to 24 year olds to achieve BTEC qualifications in sport and pathways to a career in professional football both on and off the field.

The centre also takes regular bookings from groups aimed at getting older players back on the pitch, including the successful Man vs Fat initiative.

Salford has a long history of developing football talent, including Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Bardsley. The investment aims to attract more players of all ages and abilities and help nurture the next generation of talent.

Councillor David Lancaster, lead member for environment and community safety, said: “We ‘re always aiming to upgrade sports facilities to keep people healthy and well, physically and mentally. It’s good to see Section 106 money being used in this way.”

Garry Bateman, Director of Sport at Salford Community Leisure, said “It’s great news for players. We’re committed to helping people be active, whether it’s playing team sports or exercising by yourself, and this investment further reflects that commitment. The job now is to encourage more players of all ages to take part and use these great facilities on their doorstep.”

Geoff Hodges, Sport and Leisure Manager from Salford Community Leisure said, “We’ve been a part of the local community since 2006 and it’s great that we’ve been able to improve our offer here and keep up pitch development.”

Hannah Evans from MIFA said: “The fantastic facilities at SSV attracted us to be based here and it’s great to see them being improved once again.”

The work was carried out by north west company SIS Pitches, with consultancy services provided by Surfacing Standards Limited.

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Date published

Monday 21 September 2020

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