A new all-weather pitch in the Regent’s Park will help more women and girls play football.
The Royal Parks charity unveiled the new hybrid sports pitch in the centre of the Regent's Park, which will significantly boost the capacity for women and girls' football.
This new addition to The Hub, London's largest outdoor sports facility, is set to see the number of girls' football teams playing in The Regent’s Park Youth League increase from 32 to 110 by 2026.
Some of the first users of the pitch will include 200 girls aged 9 to 13 playing in a new Saturday summer football league organised by Arsenal FC.
The new pitch in Regent's Park, around a 20 minute walk from Camden Town, will also create more opportunities for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to engage in football, through the London Inclusive Sports Academy and North London Inclusive League.
The hybrid pitch features matting buried under the natural turf, allowing grass to grow through, and maintain a quality playing surface throughout the year.
It will also accommodate double the number of hours usage each week compared to a traditional grass pitch.
Once fully grown, the visible blades of grass will be 90 percent natural, and ten percent artificial.
During winters, the pitch will primarily be used for football, and softball in the summer season.
However, it will also cater to other sports, including Rugby Union and Rugby League.
Sports manager at The Royal Parks, David Ellis, said: "The Royal Parks is committed to encouraging people from all backgrounds to become more active, and to providing space for more women and girls’ teams to use our facilities.
"We’d like to thank the Football Foundation for the grant to help us provide these facilities to inspire more women and girls to get involved in sports."
The £380,000 funding for the new hybrid pitch came from a grant from the Premier League, The FA, and Government’s Football Foundation, with support from Westminster Council, alongside funding from The Royal Parks charity.
Chelsea Women’s manager, Emma Hayes, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to grow the girls’ game in central London."
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