Blyth Spartans Juniors install new seating area at Wensleydale Park 3G pitch thanks to developer's grant

Blyth Spartans Juniors FC has built six eight-seater picnic tables alongside its 3G pitch, meaning players now have somewhere to sit after matches.

The club’s 80 coaches and 525 junior players, comprising 32 junior teams, train at the facility, including at holiday camps and free sessions to provide a safe place for children to go during teacher strikes.

Keith Whisson, chairman at Blyth Spartans Juniors FC, said: “Our ground can get really busy, especially on training days and during the regular football camps that we run, and with so many junior players on our books, there are always lots of family members around.

“After we completed work on the 3G pitch last year, we had some space left over alongside it and wanted to provide somewhere that everyone could sit comfortably while they were watching their young footballers using it or after they’d finished playing.

“Providing space for 48 people means there’s plenty of room for people to sit, and the heavy-duty seating that we’ve picked out is robust enough to last for a long time.”

The benches were paid for by a £5,000 grant from property developer Banks Group‘s community fund.

Volunteers from the area are planning to create a garden around the seating area in the coming weeks in the project’s next phase.

Keith added: “The feedback we have had so far from both parents and players has been really positive, and once work on the garden has been finished, the area will look even better.

“Banks’ generous support has let us complete work on a project that would otherwise have taken far longer to finish and means we are able to direct resources towards covering the many other costs that come with running our junior teams.”

Jamilah Hassan, Banks Group community relations manager said: “Blyth Spartans sits right at the heart of the local community and plays an important part in the lives of hundreds of local families.

“We are very pleased to be supporting yet another grassroots organisation in an area that we know very well and cannot wait to see the garden in full bloom in the summer.”