Junior football club wins pitch battle for funds
YOUNG footballers will have the pitches they play on transformed from ‘laughing stock’ to a top quality sports facility.
The pitches at Rugby Drive Playing Fields will now be ready for use by Tytherington Juniors for the start of the new season.
Improvement work, particularly on the area’s drainage, is being carried out with money from section 106 agreements.
These are payments developers make towards community projects in return for planning permission.
The work follows a 16-month battle by Tytherington Juniors secretary Matt O’Brien to find funding, with assistance from Councillor David Edwardes.
Previously the pitches had often been unusable.
Matt said: “The Rugby Drive playing fields were the laughing stock of Macclesfield and surrounding areas football – with many a team turning up on a Saturday or Sunday to the majority of one pitch underwater with the other pitch a muggy bog.
”They have been absolutely unplayable over recent years, certainly on a sustained basis. We played two home games on the pitches last year.
“It’s been a monumental challenge and amount of work but it’s going to be amazing for our players to be able to have access to such brilliant pitches.”
Local residents will also have access to the pitches and there will also be a clubhouse on site. Mayor of Macclesfield Sarah Bennett-Wake visited the site this week to see the work. She said: “The development of the Rugby Drive Playing Fields is a fine example of Macclesfield Town and Cheshire East councillors listening to their residents.
“The persistence of local football coach Matt O’Brien has paid off with S106 funds being put to good use for the whole of the Tytherington community.
“The well drained football pitch will be used by young footballers from across Macclesfield and the planned club house will become Tytherington’s community hub.”