A brand new £12.8m state-of-the-art sports facility at Parsloes Park in Dagenham has opened its doors to the community.
Named after Barking and Dagenham’s own former World Cup winning captain, Bobby Moore, the sports hub replaces the old single-storey pavilion and provides a fantastic upgrade of football facilities for local players. The new hub includes 16 grass sports pitches, two 3G pitches and a third National League System stadia pitch with spectator seating, gym facilities, a fitness studio, and a café alongside a social space for local residents to enjoy every single day. The hub also offers free parking, and community and meeting rooms available for hire.
The multi-million-pound project is funded by a £6.2million grant from the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation, as well as a £6.1million investment from Barking and Dagenham Council and the Mayor of London. The project has also received a contribution from the London Marathon Foundation.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said: “Our borough is bursting at the seams with potential. There’s so much investment being pumped into the borough and we’re proud to see this multi-million-pound project come to life for the benefit of local people.
“It’s also an honour to name the hub after our borough’s very own football legend, Bobby Moore. Having grown up in the borough, Parsloes Park was Bobby Moore’s old stomping ground back in the 1950’s and it’s brilliant to think future generations of budding talent can use this fantastic, kitted out space and take steps to follow their own dreams.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “London is the sporting capital of the world and it’s great to see the Bobby Moore Sports Hub open its doors in Dagenham.
“Bobby Moore is one of London’s greatest sportsmen, so it is truly fitting to see him remembered in a space where generations of young talent will come to hone their skills and communities can come together, as we continue to build a better London for everyone.”
Greg Walker, Business Development Manager at Alliance Leisure, said: “As the council’s chosen development partner for this project Alliance Leisure brought together a best-in-class development team to deliver an outstanding community facility. We’re so proud of what has been achieved by all partners and look forward to seeing the thousands of users this will benefit.”
The Sports Hub will be operated by the charity, Leisure United on behalf of the National Football Trust itself a registered charity.
Mel Crossland, Managing Director at Leisure United, said: “A great foundation has been built at Parsloes Park to provide fantastic local fitness and football opportunities to the people of Barking and Dagenham, we have already welcomed many partner clubs and visitors to train, play, socialise and learn and we look forward to welcoming many more. We will use our experience to create pathways and deliver programs to ensure everyone has access to their local community fitness, football and social hub.”
All surplus income will be re-invested back into grassroots football in the borough creating a sustainable future for the sport.
For more information, including current special offers on pay and play football and gym membership, visit https://leisureunited.com/hub/dagenham-parsloes-park/