Academy scores a winner with funding

George Salter Academy, has been awarded £599,747 – the largest grant in the West Midlands – from the Premier League and the FA Facilities Fund which is delivered by the Football Foundation.

The school will be using the windfall to carry out refurbishment work to three separate existing football facilities.

Community director and PE teacher at the school Ian Lockett said: "We are looking to create a football hub site that involves three elements.

"The school has a large sand-based artificial pitch which is looking a bit worse for wear and needed replacing anyway, so we have taken the advantage to upgrade it to a 3G pitch.

"We also have a small all-weather pitch and we will be resurfacing that to give it an upgrade.

"The third element is that Sandwell Council have also gifted us two football pitches on the recreational ground in Claypit Lane.

"Within the funding that we got granted there was an element from Sport England from their improvement fund, so we have funding to fence, put drainage in and create two great quality pitches.

"The pitches on Claypit Lane will still be available for club and school use during the week, the artificial pitch will be a community football pitch."

Speaking about what effect the improvements will have on the community, Lockett added: "We are a very active community school, we are one of the few that open seven days a week.

"We buy into community education and that is one of the reasons why the FA were keen to buy into here because we have a track record of handling big projects.

"It will give the borough a massive boost, it will have not only a huge impact on the school in PE lessons and matches, but also a huge impact on the local community as they will be able to hire out and use the very best facilities.

Lockett added: "We have had a lot of local clubs get in contact to see if they can get a slot for their training and we are trying to develop a close link with the West Bromwich Albion Foundation.

"They are looking to base some things down here as well which will have a great effect on our students, there will be lots of opportunities opening up.

"The reaction from the pupils has not kicked in because none of the work has begun.

"It will kick in when they get a better look at what is happening, as long as they get to kick a football around in the meantime they are happy."

Lockett added: "The new hub will enable us to support community education which is becoming harder and harder because of funding being allocated."

George Salter Academy is constantly evolving and the funding is allowing it to develop further.

Lockett added: "We had £12million of building work done to the school and we are looking to create some smaller football pitches once the grass has taken.

"We are working closely with the Birmingham FA, we hosted a level one coaching course, so they are looking to base some of their coach education courses here, this is a very big development for both the school and the community."

Work on the pitches is yet to get underway as the school did have to get some planning permission to complete all the necessary refurbishment work.

Lockett added: "We were awarded the grant last year so we have been waiting for all the conditions to be met but we are on our way now.

"We have no completion date, people keep asking me, they are really eager to know.

"This is a big thing for the school, George Salter is well known in the community."

"This work will help us maintain and improve our community, we may be able to look at creating more jobs, we already have sixth formers and apprentices helping to referee on matches."