Hitchin Town Football Club
Founded 1865, Reformed 1928
New Community Football Facility for North Herts
Wednesday, January 2 2008
Footballers of all ages and abilities in the North Hertfordshire area can now benefit from a new facility that includes a top-line artificial playing surface.
Hitchin Town Community Football Club, the community arm of Hitchin Town Football Club, has opened “The Arena”, a state-of-the-art football venue in Norton Road, Baldock. This facility is a total refurbishment of the former Baldock football ground and includes: a floodlit third generation artificial pitch; four new changing rooms, complete with showers; fully-equipped IT suite for after-school classes and training; a modern, well-stocked bar area; and a spacious, hard surface car park.
Mark Burke, Community Officer Hitchin Town Football Club, said: “This is a really exciting time for the North Hertfordshire footballing community, the facility is already being used by a wide range of organisations and groups including local schools, the Hertfordshire Football Association, Luton Town and Hitchin Town Youth teams as well as students on the North Hertfordshire College football scholarship scheme. We hope that The Arena becomes a real asset to the local residents of Baldock, Letchworth, Hitchin, Royston and surrounding area.”
The community-oriented facility, which is the result of a £ 1 million-plus investment from The Football Foundation, Hertfordshire County Council and The Department for Children, Schools and Families.
The full-size artificial pitch is cushioned with sand and filled with rubber pellets to ensure year-round use in a number of formats, either as one pitch or in smaller dimensions. It provides an excellent venue for tournaments and multi-group use. As well as being a compelling facility for players, there is also a high degree of spectator comfort with covered seating and the bar facility.
Integral to the success of “The Arena” is the Study Support Centre - LearnIT@HitchinTownFC - which includes cutting edge computer facilities for students. This innovative centre provides specialist teaching as part of the national “Playing for Success” project aimed at raising achievement in literacy, numeracy and ICT. LearnIT@HitchinTownFC provides a unique setting to motivate young learners.
For further details
Telephone: 01462 720088
Email: info@htcfc.co.uk
Website: http://www.northhertsarena.co.uk