Football Foundation open Enfield all-weather pitch that’s fit for a King!

Having spent his entire playing career at Tottenham Hotspur, Ledley King is a legend in N17.

Now a Spurs Ambassador, King was recently on hand to open a brand new all-weather football hub at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London (CONEL).

The pitch was funded by a £542,384 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, and allowed CONEL to replace their existing grass pitch, which could no longer cater for the levels of demand for local grassroots football.

King was excited by what the new pitch could mean for the local community. He said, “It’s great to see this state-of-the-art facility up and running.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have played on some of the best pitches around the world, and I know first-hand the difference this new football pitch will make to players at the College and within the local community.

“I look forward to seeing where it will take them.”

Creating 14 new teams locally, the new surface will spark a 327% increase in the number of people from the local community who will play football every week. There will also be an increase of 175% across all female sport in the area.

The new pitch, however, will not only improve the physical health of the community. Andy Forbes, CONEL’s Executive Principal, explained the mental benefits that his students may get from the new facility, “Sport not only provides physical exercise, but gives students skills such as teamwork, as well as focus, discipline and determination to go on and succeed in their studies.”

The new facility was delivered by the Football Foundation – the nation’s largest sports charity. Funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government via Sport England, The Football Foundation has awarded grants worth more than £580m towards improving grassroots sport, which has contributed towards £1.4bn of investment into the grassroots game.

Words by Adam Charman

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