The new full size and floodlit All-Weather Pitch (AWP) at Underhill Park, which has been under construction since March this year, is ready for action and will welcome its first users on Monday 06 November.
Long desired by the local sports teams, the AWP has been made possible after charity Mumbles Community Association (MCA) managed to secure generous grant funding from four different bodies – Mumbles Community Council, Swansea Council, Sport Wales, and the Cymru Football Foundation. Together these organisations granted MCA the £1.1m needed to enable the new facility to be built.
Built by 3G specialists Blakedown, the new pitch is suitable and marked up for both rugby and football. It will make a huge difference for local teams by enabling more playing and training time at Underhill and will open up opportunities for new players to participate in sport. The 3G pitch will also be a bonus in wet conditions, hopefully reducing the number of occasions when flooding causes postponement of training and games.
Available 7 days a week, there has already been huge interest in using the new AWP, particularly on weekday evenings, both by existing park users and new ones. The charity is offering some free use to local primary schools during the daytime and is already looking into how to maximise use of the facility to bring more people into sport.
Simon Tse, Chair of Mumbles Community Association, said:
This superb new all-weather pitch is a game changer for our local teams and the wider community, and we are extremely grateful to those who have it possible by awarding us grant funding, namely Mumbles Community Council, Swansea Council, Sport Wales, and the Cymru Football Foundation.
Our charity knew it was a huge ask to secure the full £1.1m needed but the dedication and hard work put in by the team of volunteer Trustees has now paid off.
We are thrilled to be finally ready to welcome players on to the new AWP they have wanted to see built in Underhill, excited at the prospect of seeing it in action and relishing the opportunity to explore how it can enhance the sporting life of people of Mumbles and beyond.
The AWP is the final piece of MCA’s Phase 1 development plans for Underhill Park, which are based on consultation with the community over many years.
Phase 1 has also included Underhill Hub, which comprises a café, community space, meeting room and 6 new large changing rooms, as well as a refurbished pavilion. This has been welcoming customers and users since it opened to the community on 19 July, with the changing rooms in use since the sports season resumed in early September.
A developing programme of activities open to the public is running each Monday and Tuesday in the main Hub, alongside catering in the café or via the hatch service every day.