Village wins near decade long football campaign

A VILLAGE is celebrating after winning a nine-year campaign for new £600,000 football changing rooms.

Since 2001 Keyworth United has battled to raise around £90,000 to unlock more than £510,000 from the Football Foundation.

The club, based at Platt Lane, has organised chariot races, golfing days, race nights and more to get the cash to replace its old wooden clubhouse.

Yesterday the Football Foundation announced it would fund the scheme – and construction should start within two weeks.

Father-of-two Robert Clegg, 45, from Keyworth, the club chairman for nine years, said: "We have done it! We have finally got there. I am so relieved after such a long time.

"It is going to make a tremendous difference. People don't like to come down there because of the facilities. But now, because of the improvements, we will attract more."

Campaigners say the club, which has 27 teams, had to wait a long time for the money because the village is a wealthy area.

The Football Foundation previously promised £345,000 but the application had to be resubmitted because of cost increases. The club says this was due to changes the foundation wanted to the design, plus inflation.

John Cottee, county councillor for Keyworth, said: "I am absolutely thrilled for the community. We have been having problems because Keyworth is seen as a wealthy area. But the sports facilities are in a pretty poor state.

"This will now give us decent facilities for our own teams and visitors. It is going to be a pleasure for kids to go down there."

The new brick building will have six changing rooms and two separate rooms for referees and linesmen, as well as a function room, kitchen, toilets for spectators ,and a bigger car park.

Under-13s' manager Malcolm Healey, 46, who has been involved with the club for six years, said: "We have been working towards this since 2001. It has been a long, long time coming. We are absolutely delighted with what's going to happen. We will be getting new people come into the club.

"We will be looking into holding coaching courses and working with disabled people. It will be a lot more modern. We are absolutely thrilled to bits."

The club recently had £180,000 spent improving the pitches with better drainage.

The £514,000 grant from the Football Foundation, a body run by the football authorities and the Government, is part of a £765,000 package with contributions from Biffa, Wren; Notts County Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council, East Midlands Airport, Keyworth Parish Council and Sport England Community Sport Fund.

Paul Thorogood, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: "We warmly congratulate Keyworth United Community FC and the Nottinghamshire County FA for their hard work and dedication in securing this award."

chris.birkle@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk