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£12m Sports Hub opens in East London

The Bobby Moore Sports Hub Officially Opens to the Local Community

Alliance Leisure are thrilled to have been part of the development of this local community facility. The Bobby Moore Sports Hub, featuring pitches named after Sir Trevor Brooking, Paul Ince, and Chloe Kelly, has opened in Dagenham. Thanks to the largest ever grant from the Premier League, The FA, and Government’s Football Foundation, this state-of-the-art hub is now a reality.

Located in Parsloes Park, the Hub boasts 16 grass sports pitches and three 3G pitches. One of these 3G pitches is an impressive National League System stadia pitch with spectator seating, which is utilised by the local club May & Baker FC.

These multi-million-pound facilities have been made possible by a generous £6.2 million grant from the Football Foundation – the largest ever grant awarded by the charity. This investment builds upon the Foundation’s remarkable track record of providing over £1 billion in grant funding over the last 23 years to enhance grassroots facilities across the country.

In addition to the Football Foundation’s support, the project received an additional £6.1 million investment from Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council and the Mayor of London. The London Marathon Foundation also contributed £500,000 to this transformative initiative.

The Bobby Moore Sports Hub pays tribute to local football legends, including Paul Ince and Sir Trevor Brooking, both of whom have roots in the area. But it doesn’t stop there. The Hub also proudly hosts The Chloe Kelly Pitch, named after the 2022 UEFA Women’s EUROs-winning Lioness and Manchester City forward, Chloe Kelly. This pitch not only inspires local women and girls to lace up their boots but also serves as the venue for female-only tournaments and teams organized by local grassroots football clubs and schools.

This significant investment has revitalised one of the most underserved areas of London. The old single-story changing facilities have been replaced with a modern pavilion, complete with a gym, fitness studio, café, and social space. Now, the entire local community can benefit from these upgraded amenities.

The site’s grand opening was graced by West Ham United FC academy graduate and former player, Anton Ferdinand, along with current West Ham United women’s player, Hawa Cissoko.

This fantastic new Hub will not only provide a huge boost to community sport in the area but will also have a transformative impact on physical and mental wellbeing, bringing people together and strengthening the local community here in Dagenham. We hope this Hub will not only honour the legacy of several legendary local footballers, but also continue to inspire people of all identities, abilities and backgrounds to lace up their boots.
Thanks to the investment we receive from our funding partners, the Premier League, The FA and Government, the Football Foundation is working to deliver more Hubs like this across the country so that everyone can have access to great places to play.

Robert Sullivan

Chief Executive, The Football Foundation

It's been a pleasure to work with the Football Foundation on our recent projects together. The Derby Football Hub was Alliance Leisure's 250th project and it was the partnership between all suppliers and stakeholders that made it happen. Grassroots sport plays such an important role in the lives of young people and when you see the hubs in-use it really brings home what an impact we can make.

Greg Walker

Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure

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Alliance Leisure Celebrates 25th Anniversary With The Completion of 250th Development Project in Derby

This month sees the public opening of the new build football hub within the grounds of Derby Racecourse, an event that puts a new marker in the sand for development partner, Alliance Leisure, as the company’s 250^th completed project since its launch 25 years ago.

The new £8.4 million building, designed and developed by Alliance Leisure on behalf of Derby City Council, includes a reception area, café, three multi-use rooms, a Changing Places toilet and additional washrooms. Outside, extra car parking spaces have been added to support an outdoor play area, outdoor gym, a basketball training court and general landscaping to enhance the overall aesthetics.

Creating a central hub for the dedicated football facility, the building linked to pre-existing changing facilities and will provide much needed community support for the 3 new, outdoor, full sized 3G turf pitches (FTPs), and a refurbished FTP developed through the Football Foundation pitch framework and will enable the hosting of hundreds of matches every weekend.

Procured through the UK Leisure Framework (managed by Denbighshire Leisure), this project was developed in partnership with Bradshaw, Gass and Hope, Universal Civils and Build, and Abacus Project Management.

This has been an incredible project. The community will now be able to enjoy playing and watching ‘the beautiful game’ year round. Built within the grounds of Derby Racecourse, we worked with some incredible partners on this project, delivered through the UK Leisure Framework, including architects Bradshaw, Gass and Hope, Universal Construction and Abacus Project Management to create a sports hub that will serve the community for many years to come.

Will Gardner

Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure

On Thursday 8th February and Friday 9th February, operator Leisure United opened the facility’s doors to the community, hosting facility tours, with refreshments provided in the Pavilion cafe. During the following weekend, the first football matches were hosted, marking the return of the Football Leagues.

This project has been an excellent example of successful partnership working. Alliance Leisure, working through the UK Leisure Framework, has brought expertise to this development at every level and stage of the project to deliver a fantastic facility that integrates superbly with the existing building and the pitch works completed by the Football Foundation. Thanks to everyones efforts the community in Derby now has a football facility that will support the activity needs of many generations.

Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa

Cabinet Member for Communities and Streetpride, Derby City Council

Jointly funded by Derby City Council, The Premier League, The FA, and the Government’s Football Foundation, this project showcases the value collaborative working can bring to the community sports infrastructure. An official opening of the football hub is planned later in the year.

This development embodies all that we set out to achieve when we launched Alliance Leisure 25 years ago. It creates a safe, place-based active environment where communities can come together to enjoy all the benefits of being active. In partnership with local authorities across the UK, Alliance has optimised more than £370 million to ensure public sector leisure continues to meet the bespoke needs of the communities it serves.

Sarah Watts

CEO, Alliance Leisure

Having been involved in the delivery of this project from the very start, to now seen it realise its potential & its impact on the community has been a real pleasure. Delivering a build and facility of this quality & size shows the impact the UKLF can have for everyone. To now let the local residents enjoy all the hard work which has been put in by the management & delivery team is testament to the dedication we pride ourselves on in delivery.

Martin Davies

Director, Universal Civils & Build

This scheme is an excellent demonstration of positive collaboration and teamwork. From early inception the Alliance Leisure team and key stakeholders have all come together with the common goal of delivering a hub that will provide excellent facilities and also a community-based destination for local residents and the people of Derby.

Paul Jackson

Director, Abacus

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Work begins on £24m community hub integrating leisure, health and support services

Work gets underway this month to replace Sharley Park Leisure Centre in Clay Cross with a new community hub including leisure and health services in a project led by Alliance Leisure.

The £24.1m scheme forms a key part of North East Derbyshire District Council’s Clay Cross Town Investment Plan, which aims to deliver a number of projects to ensure Clay Cross is a thriving place to live and work.

Designed by GT3 Architects, the new Clay Cross Active hub will deliver fit-for-purpose activity, health and support services in one site for the 20,000 residents of Clay Cross and the surrounding area. It aims to provide a space where the public can be active, both physically and mentally, which offers opportunities to learn and develop and a site to improve health and wellbeing and social interaction.

The development will be coordinated by Alliance Leisure through the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure, with ISG acting as principle build contractor.

“Through Clay Cross Active, North East Derbyshire District Council is demonstrating how public sector leisure can provide integrated services that meet the social, health and wellbeing needs of the whole community to ensure a successful and sustainable future for public leisure provision”

Julia Goddard

Senior Business Development Manager at Alliance Leisure

Built on land next to the existing 1970s built Sharley Park Leisure Centre, the low carbon centre will feature solar PVs and air source heat pumps. Facilities will include a 100-station gym, group cycling studio, four court sports hall as well as a 25m swimming pool with six lanes, plus a learner pool with spectator seating. Designed with accessibility in mind, the changing village will include a Changing Places facility.

A wellness suite installed with Innerva power-assisted equipment arranged in a 12-station circuit will cater for people of all fitness levels, particularly those who are less mobile, suffering from illness, or who are undergoing post-operative rehabilitation.

Other facilities will include soft play, a TAGactive indoor adventure play area, treatment rooms, a multi-purpose room for community activities and a café with a viewing gallery for the swimming pool.

Outside, the large park will be reinvigorated with social areas, improved play equipment, a full size 3G floodlit pitch plus a walking/cycle route around the park’s one mile perimeter.

Medical services will be delivered from the new hub, while organisations such as Citizens Advice will also operate from the centre.

“This will be a new facility for the local community that will be unrivalled within the area. The setting for the Centre is ideal to offer a wider external appreciation for sports in addition to the state-of-the-art facilities that the Centre will offer. The journey began with our Pre-Construction team and Alliance and will finish with a first-class facility delivered by Sean Smithson, Project Manager and his team. We look forward to the day when members of the public can use the facility and enjoy everything that our team has worked so hard to create.”

Craig Johnson

Project Manager, ISG

“We have chosen Alliance Leisure as our delivery partner due to their specialist leisure expertise and the efficient procurement route offered by the UK Leisure Framework. We have worked successfully with Alliance on a number of other projects across our leisure portfolio and look forward to working together again on Clay Cross Active.”

Chris Mills

Assistant Director for Leisure at North East Derbyshire District Council

Pictured: Cllr Alex Dale, Leader of North East Derbyshire District Council (centre) surrounded by local Cllr’s, NEDDC officers and delivery partners for the Clay Cross Active leisure hub.

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Derby Football Hub gets ready for kick-off

Plans to progress the development of a proposed community grassroots football and sport hub on Derby Racecourse will be discussed at next week’s Cabinet meeting.

The proposed Hub would seek to address the shortfall in the city’s football pitch provision and would include the development of three new full-size 3G football turf pitches (FTPs) on the site, as well as the refurbishment of an existing FTP and a new changing pavilion including a community café and meeting space.

In addition to the improved pitch provision, the Hub development would include increased parking spaces as well as improved entry and exit to the site. Derby City Council’s Cabinet are looking to approve a total budget of £11.902m to enable the development to kick off, with funding proposed from the Council alongside a pending funding decision from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.

The pitch works would be delivered by a specialist contractor of the Football Foundation while the pavilion and car park aspects would be delivered by Alliance Leisure with plans for work to start onsite in Spring 2023.

Universal Civils have been appointed as the contractor for the scheme, with Abacus acting as project managers and Bradshaw Gass & Hope as architects.

A decision will be made on the plans at February’s Cabinet meeting on Wednesday 15 February.

We're delighted to be coordinating this project that brings together lots of partners to provide a first-class facility for the local community.

Will Gardner

Business Development Manager, Alliance Leisure

This project is a worthy investment for the Council and will give our communities the grassroots football facilities they deserve. I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Football Hub take shape over the coming months.

Councillor Jerry Pearce

Derby City Council’s Cabinet Member for Streetpride, Public Spaces and Leisure

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£12m sports facility breaks ground

Former England footballer Teddy Sheringham and a host of partners came together to officially break ground and sign the steel beams on the new £12m state-of-the-art sports facility at Parsloes Park in Dagenham.

The development will feature a gym, fitness studio, a café, and meeting/multi-use rooms, as well as providing new shower and changing facilities to support 16 grass

The project is being funded by a £6.2million grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, as well as a £6.1million investment from Barking and Dagenham Council. The project has also received contributions from the London Marathon Charitable Trust and The Greater London Authority.

The new sports centre is being delivered by specialist leisure developer Alliance Leisure and their partners at Etec Group, Varsity Consulting and Bradshaw, Gass & Hope LLP, after being procured via the UK Leisure Framework, which is managed by Denbighshire Leisure.

The Sports Hub will be operated by the charity, Leisure United on behalf of the National Football Trust itself a registered charity.

It's fantastic to see this development starting to take shape and when finished it will offer state-of-the-art community and sports facilities for people to take advantage of. It's no secret that our borough has a rich, historic connection to football – we're the birthplace of England's only World Cup winning manager and captain – so it's only right that we have a modern, purpose-built hub that can hopefully one day create even more success stories.

Councillor Saima Ashraf

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement at Barking and Dagenham Council

Once complete, this purpose-built sports facility will become an integral part of community life and a first-class facility for a range of sports clubs. We‘re proud to be working alongside the council and our partners to deliver this project that not only supports players but also provides a venue for schools and grassroot sports clubs to hold meetings and education sessions.

Greg Walker

Business Development Manager at Alliance Leisure

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Planning request submitted for development of Racecourse

Leisure development specialists Alliance Leisure, in partnership with Derby City Council have submitted a full planning application to Derby City Council for the development of the Football Hub at Derby Racecourse, enhancing current provision.

This exciting, proposed provision of a Football Hub will see the development of the current Derby Racecourse. There will be considerable improvements to the existing site by increasing car parking spaces by over 200 and improving entry and exit to the site to significantly help traffic movement around the local neighbourhood. The development will create a vibrant community hub with an open and accessible café space and flexible community spaces. The football development will see 3 new full-sized floodlit 3G pitches alongside the existing 3G which will enhance the home of the Derby Junior Football League and the Derbyshire Girls and Ladies League hosting over 250 matches each weekend.

The project is part of a national Hubs programme led by the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation with the aim to offer an alternative and sustainable solution to the long-term future for grassroots football. It is anticipated that the new development of the Football Hub will support the increased demand in football in Derby as identified in the Playing Pitch Strategy.

Engagement with the community has highlighted the need for a community hub in this area of Derwent with a broader range of facilities for the local community. This development will improve the play and recreation facilities for young people and their families along with creating more habitat for wildlife.

The planning application will be considered by Derby City Council’s planning committee and will be accompanied by a range of technical documents covering matters such as community engagement, noise, traffic generation, car parking and ecology.

Subject to planning consent being granted, work on the Football Hub is set to commence in early 2023.

Commenting on their plans for the Football Hub, Will Gardner Alliance Leisure Business Development Manager, said: “We are looking forward to delivering this project by bringing together specialist partners who can create a relevant community asset for the local area. Alliance Leisure pride ourselves on delivering quality facilities and the Football Hub will be no exception.”

The aim of this scheme is to upgrade and improve facilities for grassroots football in Derby. We look forward to this next, important stage.

Cllr Jerry Pearce

Cabinet Member for Streetpride, Leisure and Public Spaces,

Lee Rider, Senior Delivery Manager, Football Foundation said: “The Foundation are supportive of the Councils plans for the Racecourse site and believe that the impact locally will be significant for both sport and wider users of the park when complete.”

To visit the Football Hub website for updates and information regarding the project click below.

FOOTBALL HUB WEBSITE

£12m Sports Hub opens in East London

The Bobby Moore Sports Hub Officially Opens to the Local Community

Robert Sullivan

Greg Walker

Alliance Leisure Celebrates 25th Anniversary With The Completion of 250th Development Project in Derby

This month sees the public opening of the new build football hub within the grounds of Derby Racecourse, an event that puts a new marker in the sand for development partner, Alliance Leisure, as the company’s 250^th completed project since its launch 25 years ago.

Will Gardner

Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa

Sarah Watts

Martin Davies

Paul Jackson

Work begins on £24m community hub integrating leisure, health and support services

Julia Goddard

Craig Johnson

Chris Mills

Derby Football Hub gets ready for kick-off

Will Gardner

Councillor Jerry Pearce

£12m sports facility breaks ground

Councillor Saima Ashraf

Greg Walker

Planning request submitted for development of Racecourse

Cllr Jerry Pearce

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The Bobby Moore Sports Hub Officially Opens to the Local Community

Robert Sullivan

Greg Walker

Alliance Leisure Celebrates 25th Anniversary With The Completion of 250th Development Project in Derby

This month sees the public opening of the new build football hub within the grounds of Derby Racecourse, an event that puts a new marker in the sand for development partner, Alliance Leisure, as the company’s 250th completed project since its launch 25 years ago.

Will Gardner

Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa

Sarah Watts

Martin Davies

Paul Jackson

Julia Goddard

Craig Johnson

Chris Mills

Will Gardner

Councillor Jerry Pearce

Councillor Saima Ashraf

Greg Walker

Cllr Jerry Pearce

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories

This month sees the public opening of the new build football hub within the grounds of Derby Racecourse, an event that puts a new marker in the sand for development partner, Alliance Leisure, as the company’s 250^th completed project since its launch 25 years ago.