£1.2 MILLION is being invested in a new, state-of-the-art 3G football pitch in Latchford, as part of the Council's "Town Deal."

The pitch, set to open in November this year, will be on the site of Cardinal Newman Catholic High School's old 'all-weather' pitch, which was previously a condemned site.

Warrington Guardian: The current 3G site was condemned due to damage sustained from floodingThe current 3G site was condemned due to damage sustained from flooding

Almost £600,000 has been awarded to the project through grants from the Premier League, the FA, and the Government's Football Foundation.

The rest of the funding will come from the Warrington Town Deal, Warrington Borough Council, and the secondary school itself.

Cardinal Newman headteacher, Jo Langstaff, said: "When it was approved, I was delighted; this school has fantastic kids, and excellent staff, and the current pitch at the front of the school doesn't reflect who we are.

"Having this brand new facility at the front of the school sums up that we work incredibly hard for our students."

Warrington Guardian: The aerial view shows the disrepair that the old site had fallen intoThe aerial view shows the disrepair that the old site had fallen into (Image: Newsquest)

The current site, which has been unusable for a number of years, has in the past played host to horses left behind by travellers, with one of the animals even giving birth on the site.

Ms Langstaff said: "It was actually quite disheartening to see our students 'make do' with inadequate facilities for so long.

"Our teams have had to play a lot of fixtures away this season, so it'll be nice to win some matches at home!"

Bookings for the pitch will be managed by LiveWire, and the site will be available for community use outside of school hours - until 10pm on a weekday, and from 9am until 8pm on weekends.

Warrington Guardian: The new pitch will accommodate 5-a-side, 7-a-side, 9-a-side, and 11-a-side football, as well as providing suitable training facilities for rugby The new pitch will accommodate 5-a-side, 7-a-side, 9-a-side, and 11-a-side football, as well as providing suitable training facilities for rugby

The project will also benefit Warrington's primary schools, many of which are part of the 'Sports Leaders Programme' and visit Cardinal Newman for sporting events.

Warrington Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for children’s services, Cllr Sarah Hall said: "It’s great news that our plans for this important project are moving forward.

"It will provide Cardinal Newman High School with a first-class facility which will bring huge benefits to students and the wider community, creating a centre of football excellence, and supporting health, education, social inclusion and community cohesion for people of a range of ages and abilities."