Diggers move in as new £1m all-weather pitch takes shape

WORK to construct a new all-weather pitch Jubilee Park, off Reading Road, in Henley, is under way.

The artificial grass 3G pitch will cost up to £1 million and be designed specifically for football.

Henley Town Council, which owns the site, received grants totalling more than £700,000 from the Premier League, the Football Association and the Government’s Football Foundation.

It also agreed to contribute £300,000 from its own reserves to complete the project.

The new 91m by 55m pitch was supported by AFC Henley and Henley Hockey Club, which currently have to share the existing substandard pitch.

Trevor Howell, former chairman and current treasurer of AFC Henley, said: “This process started quite a long time ago and we have been talking about it for about 10 years.

“We did some research and talked with the Football Association and worked out there was a gap in the market because the nearest comparable pitches to Henley were over concentrated and too far away. What we were really needing were facilities under lighting. The great thing for us is that it’s not just for us, but on Saturday morning we have exclusive use of it for our 36 teams.”

Sam Tomkins, manager of AFC Henley, said the development has been a long time coming.

He said: “I have only been involved for the last few years, but for a couple of members, it has been a very long process. It’s nice to finally see progress because now we can start to plan to use it.

“It also shows the massive growth of the club and that we’re providing for more and more children, because at the moment we’re playing on a hockey pitch, so it will be nice to play on a new pitch.

“The timing is perfect really too because we have two more games until the end of the season until it’s over, so we won’t play there until the end of August.”

Jon Grocock, chairman of Henley Hockey Club, said: “We’re really excited that work has started. It’s going to be a great community asset and help the football clubs in the area. From our perspective, it will give us additional pitch time on the existing turf, which means our training will improve and we can continue to develop our teams and their members.”

Mr Grocock added that discussions are taking place with Henley Town Council to refurbish the existing artificial grass.

Daisy Smith, Henley Town Council’s communications manager, said: “We are thrilled to see the project now under way, as it marks a significant step forward for sport in Henley.

“Discussions with the Football Foundation began back in 2022, so it’s incredibly rewarding to see this vision becoming a reality.

“Once completed, the new facilities will provide greater opportunities for local teams to train and play year-round, regardless of weather conditions, and will also allow for extended use during the darker winter months.”

Work is scheduled to be completed by early July.