The work will start before the end of July. In a ground breaking deal they will become the latest club in the area to install a 3G pitch' following recent success stories at the Sussex FA headquarters in Lancing and at Worthing FC. The deal which sees £450k of investment going into The Shooting Field site has been 2 years in the making. The pitch will be run and operated by a not for profit organisation called 'Steyning Community Hub Ltd'. The project is funded by a combination of grants, private investment and a loan with HSBC bank.

Club chairman Richard Woodbridge explained more " The catalyst for this incredible project going ahead was the £200k grant we managed to secure from the Wilson Memorial Trust. This a local trust set up by the late Ted and Margaret Wilson, who wished their estate to be left to projects that benefit the health and wellbeing of the local community. Without the help and support of the trustees we would not be here now in a situation with the work about to start. This facility will benefit so many people in the local communities and will safeguard the club and hopefully allow it to prosper for many years to come. I would also like to thank the team at HSBC bank who have been very supportive during this process."

The pitch will be laid down over the summer using the same contractors that installed the pitch at the FA Headquarters in Lancing, a facility widely regarded as the best in Sussex. Something Steyning are trying to emulate.

Simon Robinson,chair of the Wilson Memorial Trust added " We are delighted to support a project that will benefit so many people from a sporting perspective. Ted Wilson coached over 7,000 children in his favoured sport of tennis, and he would have been delighted that his legacy would have allowed so many youngsters access to such a first class facility. We are excited to be able to help the football club continue its recent progress and provide a facility that they and other sports clubs & community groups can take advantage of."

Steyning Town football club currently run 19 teams and all teams will have access to use the facility and a number of the teams will play their home matches at the club. The next stage of the improvement plans will be replacing the floodlights to a more modern directional lighting system, install a new tea bar and kitchen, and extend the facility to a four changing room site. The clubhouse is also undergoing a refurbishment.

Richard Woodbridge finished by saying " We have a great committee of around 14 people in place now and I cannot praise them highly enough. Everybody has played their part. People such as Ian Nichols, Marco Spano, Mark Munns and Daniel Fuller-Smith have really pushed this project through, and their skills and experience have been vital in handling such a large project. I can now see the club going from strength to strength, playing on a new facility that the community should be very proud of and one that we encourage everyone to come and use."

Pictured are a number of Steynings players, coaches and committee members watching Steyning Youth player Joe Jay Nichols breaking the ground to start the digging up of the old pitch. The pitch works will be completed towards the end of September and the club will announce in due course how they intend to mark the opening of the new facility.

If you are interested in using the facility when it is completed please email steyningtownfc@gmail.com.