Utilising the largest grant that the Football Foundation has given to date, the Bobby Moore Sports Hub has given the community of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham much longed-for access to that which its namesake still embodies so strongly – the opportunity to play grassroots football.

“It’s an honour to name it after Bobby Moore, our very own football legend,” council leader Darren Rodwell said. “Parsloes Park was his old stomping ground back in the 1950s when he was growing up. Future generations of budding talent can use this kitted-out space and take steps to follow their own dreams.”

LBBD developed a Local Football Facilities Plan, linked to the FA’s research into the condition and sustainability of public sector football facilities. It was concluded, by both LBBD and the FA on a wider scale, that public sector-owned footballing infrastructure has rapidly deteriorated, resulting in grassroots football becoming increasingly inaccessible. A key aspect of the strategy was to work with the Football Foundation to create a new football and fitness hub at Parsloes Park, with the objectives being to provide accessible facilities catering for all levels of football activity, and to offer provision for other programmes such as education, health, and wider community development initiatives. The hub sits in the place of the former pavilion, and therefore also provides much-needed facilities for visitors to Parsloes Park.

Whilst the hub was developed to serve the entire community, four key priority groups were also recognised:

• Lower socio-economic groups
• Women and girls
• Disabled people and those with long-term health conditions
• Ethically diverse communities

Alliance Leisure utilised their extensive knowledge of both developing leisure facilities and catering to the most in-need members of local communities to develop facilities that befitted all of LBBD’s requirements. This included ensuring that the new hub was fully accessible – from entry, to changing facilities, to the gym itself; providing the opportunity for a variety of activities to take place, e.g. a studio for exercise classes; and creating a welcoming ‘feel’ to the hub to truly welcome all members of the local community. Parallel to this was the need to develop high-quality and financially sustainable facilities in order to ensure their longevity.

This project extends far beyond football, and offers the whole community the opportunity to engage in exercise that they enjoy.

As well as three large All Weather 3G Pitches, Alliance Leisure worked closely with the Football Foundation and LBBD to develop a building to replace the old, battered, pavilion, the result of which is a state-of-the-art, welcoming sports hub which provides a multitude of activities for residents to partake in.

The Hub building contains a gym, changing facilities, and a multi-purpose exercise studio. It also boasts a café, which is open to the public users of the busy park.

Improvements to the park in which it is situated is further proving to encourage locals to get active in their local area, and this, plus the variety of charity and community-based activities, ensure that the users in most need of the facilities, as identified by the council, are reached.

Sustainability played a huge role in the development of this project, and we are delighted that it received an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating, with a score of 75%.

The building’s plant equipment is situated on the roof and includes photo voltaic panels. It contains environmentally efficient M&E systems and air source heat pumps, as well as an Axter Sedum living soil roof.

Attendance at the Bobby Moore Sports Hub has been exemplary since its November 2023 opening, with a weekly footfall of between 5000 and 6000 people. Importantly, revenue is at around 16% above target a year on from opening.

The gym has gained a huge 1100 members since opening – a fantastic achievement considering that no facilities existed in Parsloes Park previously.

The pitches have been very well received, running at, on average, 86% capacity during midweek peak periods. West Ham United have hosted education programmes at the Hub, and Dagenham United run Saturday morning sessions for girls and young women on the pitches.

The BMSH plays host to the FA and County FA’s youth development and coach education programmes moving forward, which are being implemented to improve the quality of grassroots provision. Both of these programmes will also, doubtless, enhance the cycle of new people participating in activity, particularly those involving young people.

The hub was strategically placed at the confluence of three significant pedestrian and cycle routes through Parsloes Park, and as a result provides both refreshment to those partaking in activity along those routes, and acts as a welcoming incentive for those considering getting active in the park. Indeed, the hub has seen a large number of locals and dog walkers indulging in a refreshment whilst getting active.

Finally, the BMSH has had notably positive effects on the local community as a whole. Local charity Switch, which is dedicated to helping children and young people achieve their potential, hosts a variety of activities at the hub, and is looking to extend this to gym memberships for the children they work with. The space also hosts a local worship group on Sundays and is used by a local school, further enhancing the community spirit that imbues the facility.