T Alex Welsh
As grassroots sport struggles to survive in the face of austerity, Tom James visits a centre that has developed a model for success in its community
he London Playing Fields Society (now the London Playing Fields Foundation (LPFF)) was formed in 1890 by a group of visionary Victorians concerned with the
need to protect London’s open spaces for current and future generations. By protecting the capital’s playing fields from the threat of development, the newly-formed society was able to help sustain the public’s enthusiasm for sporting and recreational pursuits. More than a century later, the charity’s
work remains unchanged and unstinting, yet the challenge to safeguard precious green spaces has stiffened, as the density of urban living intensifies. Throughout the 20th century, and into this millennium, the Foundation has successfully acquired grounds across London and currently numbers eight sites on its books. Every one of its ‘projects’ strives to
increase participation in sport by offering community access to good quality sports pitches and facilities, with key usage groups including schools, clubs, disadvantaged and under-represented groups, as well as inactive people. One of the most successful of LPFF’s developments, which has proven the commercial viability of blending sound outdoor pitch provision with high quality indoor leisure, is the Peter May Sports Centre in Walthamstow, East London. A former Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) site known as Wadham Lodge Sports Centre, the land was acquired by the Foundation in 1991 with the vision of creating a “regionally significant” cricket focus. The centre is named after the former England cricket captain, Peter May, who was a Vice President of the LPFF from
1985 to 1994. The appeal was launched by his family and friends to commemorate Peter and his support for the LPFF. It is here that a young David Beckham played for three years, scoring over one hundred goals for his club, Ridgeway Rovers, prior to signing for Manchester United.
Plans and costings for redevelopment
were drawn up in the early 1990s, but the earmarked £7.5m project cost proved too great at the time. “It wasn’t until the introduction of the National Lottery in 1995 that the scheme got off the ground,” explains Alex Welsh, LPFF chief executive.
In 2000, as a result of the Peter May Appeal, which raised £1.6m and funding from the National Lottery (£3.8m) and Waltham Forest (£475,000), the site was transformed into the Foundation’s flagship facility, with a bespoke indoor cricket hall with cricket nets, a sand-filled artificial 2G pitch, complete with new drainage, a health and fitness club and changing rooms. The thirty-four acres of playing fields include three mini football pitches, one junior football, four adult football and four cricket pitches, with the grounds playing host to some of the Foundation’s innovative inclusion projects, such as Active Angels and Coping Through Football.
Users of the centre include local clubs, schools, universities, and it is also used for county and district fixtures, whilst also acting as a London base for the Essex County Cricket Board to identify and develop talented young cricketers. The outdoor football pitches have also
provided a home venue for Leyton Orient FC Girls Centre of Excellence. By
A Capital Investment
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