FOOTBALLERS are celebrating a massive £121,151 funding package to revamp Leyland Park playing fields at Hindley.

The cash bonanza will allow Wigan Council and the newly formed Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust to construct new changing rooms for male and female players plus match officials and make three pitches playable again.

The new facilities are expected to attract girls and provide more opportunities for disabled footballers. Over 250 players used the pitches every week but poor drainage put them out of bounds for the past two seasons.

Education

Links will be established with local clubs, schools and community organisations and the site will become a focus for education programmes for local team managers and volunteers who will be offered the chance to enrol on FA coaching courses.

Football Foundation chief executive Peter Lee welcomed this latest boost for grass roots sport.

He said: "Leyland Park will soon offer some of the best facilities in the area. Congratulations go to the council for securing this funding package, which will provide the people of Hindley with pitches and changing rooms they can be truly be proud of."

Andrew Bond, Playing Fields Development Officer for Wigan Leisure & Culture Trust said:

"We have and will continue to work hard to present a case to external funders for their support and hope this is the first of many such awards to enable grass sports pitch provision to improve for the benefit of users within the borough."

Leigh MP Andy Burnham said: "We are working to bring much-needed investment to the Hindley area and, in

particular, give our young people better facilities. This generous award from the Football Foundation is a major boost to that effort.

"It does the heart good to see money from the Premier League, the Lottery and other sources reaching communities like Hindley that need and deserve it."