Footballing legend Gordon Banks has been honoured in his home-town of Sheffield with a multi-million-pound Hub officially unveiled in his name.
The long-standing football site on Woodbourn Road in Darnall, Sheffield has had a revamp thanks to a £2.1m grant from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation and an additional £0.9m in partnership funding from Sheffield City Council.
Thanks to this significant investment the local community now has access to multiple floodlit pitches, and a refurbished pavilion building, that provides changing facilities and a social space that hosts a cafe and meeting room.
This well-loved facility is providing much improved playing opportunities for people of all ages in and around Darnall thanks to its seven LED floodlit small-sided 3G pitches.
Turn up and play sessions are available, and local group Darnall Education and Sports Academy (DESA) are running activities for young boys and girls in the community.
Sheffield United Community Foundation (SUCF) are putting on Premier League Kicks sessions, Wildcats, ladies sessions and LGBTQ all turn up and play.
Weekly coaching programmes for disabled young people by SUCF and a new pan-disability league in partnership with Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA are becoming a regular fixture providing competitive football for players aged 16 years and over.
This summer, Sheffield Wednesday Community Foundation is bringing in a Walking Football session early. Local clubs Aden Steelers, Darnall Diamonds and Sheffield City are also using the site as a training facility.
In addition, athletes from Sheffield Hallam University are making use of the facilities in the pavilion after training and races at the 400m track which is also on site.
As well as the game changing impact this Hub is having on the local community, it’s also playing an important role in looking at possible alternative infills for 3G pitches.
The six 5v5 pitches are being used as part of a three-year research programme funded by the Football Foundation to research possible alternative 3G pitch systems. This project will work with SportsLabs (a FIFA Accredited Test Institute) and Loughborough University to collect performance data and player feedback to ensure every element of the playing experience is taken into consideration.
This fantastic new community Hub will not only provide great places to play but also a great space for the local community to come together.
Funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government through Sport England, as well as Sheffield City Council, has played a vital role in making this project a reality. Thanks to their investment, this facility will have a transformative impact on the local community, supporting their physical and mental health, bringing them together and benefitting the local economy.
We are delighted it is also providing a home to an important piece of research work that the Football Foundation is leading on. Whilst we don’t have any answers yet, the seven pitches here in Sheffield, all using different pitch systems, are providing a vital resource for our work looking at the future of 3G pitches.
Chris Barry, Head of Technical at the Football Foundation
The Gordon Banks Sports Hub at Woodbourn Road joins three other Foundation-funded Hub sites in the city – Graves, Thorncliffe and Westfield. All these sites are operated by Leisure United, the charity operator of the National Football Trust, who’ll re-invest any surplus revenue generated at the sites back into grassroots sport across the city.
Sheffield has a proud heritage as the Outdoor City and as the City of Sport, and the city’s range and quality of greenspaces, as well as sport and leisure facilities, play a key part in this.
Our ambitions for Sheffield are to have facilities, activities and services, which are modern, welcoming, inclusive and meet the needs of everybody in Sheffield – encouraging more people to be more active, more often.
The refurbishment of these pitches and the pavilion at the all-new Gordon Banks Sports Hub, takes us a step closer to achieving these goals for the city. I believe these new improvements will have a massive impact to the community, allowing people to play football in top quality facilities alongside an exciting programme of sessions run by experienced organisations.
Councillor Kurtis Crossland, Chair of the Communities, Parks and Leisure Committee at Sheffield City Council
The new facility will give DESA access to top-notch facilities and resources. Together, we aspire to build a vibrant and inclusive footballing community that fosters personal growth, skill development, and a sense of belonging for individuals from all backgrounds. This project represents a significant milestone in our ongoing mission to promote physical well-being and inspire our local community.
Abdul Malik, Darnall Education and Sports Academy (DESA)