VIDEO: England ace pitches in at Wolgarston
An England international was the star attraction as a Penkridge school took the wrapper of its new £800,000 artificial pitch.
Laura Bassett, part of the Three Lions team which finished third at this year's Women's World Cup in Canada, cut the ribbon on Wolgarston High School's state-of-the-art 3G playing surface.
The culmination of three years planning and preparation, the development came courtesy of a £300,000 grant from the Premier League and FA Facilities Fund, together with funding from Staffordshire County Council and other sources.
"This has been a great team effort and the result is a fabulous facility for our school and community," said Wolgarston headteacher, Philip Tapp.
"It will help us grow grassroots football for both girls and boys and will inspire us all to perform at an ever higher level."
In addition to students, the new pitch will be used by clubs including Penkridge Town and Stafford Rangers for training sessions, while FA Skills coaches will provide sessions for 5-11 year-olds. The county FA also plan to run refereeing courses.
Bassett, who met with schoolchildren during her visit, added: "To be successful at your sport, it is extremely important to have good facilities and the development here will make a huge difference for the local clubs and community."
Launched in 2000, the Premier League and FA Facilities Fund has awarded around 13,000 grants, worth more than £53m toward improving grassroots sport.
Brian Adshead, chief executive of Staffordshire FA, said: "We are delighted another modern facility is available to footballers of all ages in South Staffordshire.
"We are grateful the various funding agencies have worked together to make this project a reality."
