18 Oct 2012
Sport England funding to create 165 playing fields
BY Aoife Dowling
More than 165 playing fields will be created across the UK as Sport England rolls out its latest round of grants.
The Protecting Playing Fields fund selected 50 areas to share a £2.4m pot of National Lottery funding that will create 165 high-quality sports pitches.
The fund is part of the £150m, Places People Play Olympic legacy programme, and the pitches will be protected from developers for at least 25 years.
The projects that receive the funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark, celebrating the link to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Almost £8m has been invested in playing fields to date, with 504 pitches and nearly 1,900 acres protected and improved.
A further £4m will be invested in grassroots facilities over the two remaining funding rounds.
Sports England chair Richard Lewis said: "Thanks to these investments, generations of young people all over the country can look forward to playing sport on great sports pitches."
"Playing fields are vital sporting resources for local communities so it's vital that we provide both investment and protection."
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