Opening date revealed for 'game-changer' all-weather community football pitch in Northampton

A brand new “game-changing” all-weather five-a-side community football pitch is set to open soon at Northampton Town Football Club.

The new community all weather pitch at Sixfields Stadium will officially open on Saturday, November 11 prior to the Cobblers’ home game against Burton Albion.

Installation work has been ongoing over the last few months since plans were approved by West Northamptonshire Council in July.

The pitch, which has been built behind the stadium and will be open to the community, is the club’s prize for winning the ‘More Than Football Award’ last year.

The More Than Football award, powered by Musco, aims to honour the best social initiatives in Europe delivered by a European Club, League or FA by celebrating the work they do on and off-pitch on a local, national and international levels.

Cobblers were named in the final shortlisted clubs alongside FC Twente, Newcastle United and Athletic Club de Bilbao. The attending member clubs at the conference then voted the Northampton Town Tackling Loneliness project as the best social initiative.

Phill Smith, CEO of the Northampton Town Community Trust, said: "It will be a game-changer for us. It gives us extra space and something new to offer as part of our community activities such as walking football. We want it to be a community asset and it will be floodlit so it can be used all year round."

Chairman Kelvin Thomas added: "The new community five-a-side pitch that is being installed will be fantastic. That is the prize for the More Than Football Award and it is testament to what we do as a club and everyone at the club gets to see and enjoy the reward for that and to know that will be a big community asset for us. It is going to be great to see youngsters playing on there during the week and on matchdays too and it is a real tribute to the work we do in the community of Northamptonshire.”

An NTFC Community Trust spokesman said in planning papers: “On match days the pitch will be made available to the many young fans who come along and enjoy their birthday party at the stadium, taking part in one of our many match day experience packages, or who just want to come to the game and have a kick about before kick off. On non-match days the pitch will be open to use by a variety of people, young and old, from various backgrounds and programmes.”

The pitch is 60 x 120 feet and has a guarantee of at least 10 years, according to planning papers.