Jubilee Park’s new 3G Pitch is a real game changer

The new £1m 3G artificial all-weather football pitch was officially opened at Jubilee Park on Saturday morning by the Henley Mayor.

The pitch has been funded by £300K from Henley Town Council and £700K grant from the Football Foundation. It has been a long term project in the making and is just part of the redevelopment of 353-355 Reading Road and Jubilee Park which will eventually see new housing and a joint clubhouse for AFC Henley and Henley Hockey.

Henley Mayor, Councillor Tom Buckley said, “It’s a great pleasure for me as the Mayor of Henley to be here to open this pitch, given the eight years or so that it’s been since the project was initiated by Trevor Howell of AFC Henley and the Town Council. The commitment of AFC to the all-weather facility here means the future of football for Henley. The early ideas that you had at the start have led into a long and challenging journey full of the funding applications, the planning issues, the negotiations with the Football Foundation. But you all persevered. Together you met every requirement, you jumped through every hoop and worked tirelessly to make the case for Henley with the Football Association. And today that effort has paid off. There are a number of people who deserve special recognition here. Particularly former Deputy Clerk, Cath Adams, who has put so much into it. Gilly Lea, who is AFC’s Club Secretary, who took on an extraordinary amount of detail and Councillor Ken Arlett as Town and District Councillor to get this over the line.”

Liz Pill from the Football Foundation said, “We’re a charity funded by the Premier League, the FA and the government. We work very closely with Oxfordshire FA and key partners to prioritise investment to support great facilities to enable local communities.”

Andy Earnshaw from Oxfordshire FA added, “We supported this project because of its real need. We look at how much work clubs have been doing in the local area, specifically AFC Henley, their plans to grow, but that growth being hindered by the fact there’s not enough facilities. That’s one of the main drivers in terms of how we lever that investment in. The Football Foundation have targets things like women and girls being more inclusive. It’s facilities like this that allow us to start to drive work in those areas.”

Dylan Evans from Sporting Assets said, “We were commissioned by Henley Council to work with them and AFC Henley to support them in terms of creating this project. We supported them with their application to the Football Foundation, their engagement locally with other community organisations, and developed the plan and the business plan. Our role is about delivering the inclusive outcomes that the funders and the partners are seeking and bought into.  We’re delighted that it’s come to fruition and delighted to support this.”

The Mayor went on to thank Mercado Sports and Tiger Turf for constructing the 3G pitch.

He added, “This stands as a symbol of teamwork, resilience and community spirit. The same qualities that define Henley as well. So today we’re not just opening a new pitch. We’re opening new doors, new opportunities. new friendships and a new chapter for sport in Henley-on-Tennis.”

Chair of AFC Henley, Steve Wright said, “We’re really grateful to the Football Foundation and the council. You heard from the Mayor about how much financial backing and effort they’ve both put into it. AFC has also put an enormous (hundreds and hundreds of hours) of effort into it. The right people were named checked by the Mayor, which is really good to hear. It’s just fantastic for the whole community. Teams come here from other areas and are just wowed by how impressive this is. The Hockey pitch has had this for years and club and now we have this. We’re already maxed out, it’s increasing the quality, and it will help us become more sustainable.”

Former AFC Henley Chair Trevor Howell added, “None of this would have happened without HTC’s generous contribution of £300K and the Football Foundation’s £700K grant.  The funding has enabled the creation of a fabulous new community facility and has put AFCH firmly on the map as a substantial regional football ‘hub’, great for our reputation and giving us a significant competitive edge. I give special credit to Cath Adams, HTC’s recently retired project manager and Gilly Lea, AFC Henley’s Club Secretary, both of whom bore the brunt of the detailed work that got the project over the line. Ken Arlett former Town Councillor, now District Councillor, also tirelessly championed the project behind the scenes.”