Green, green grass to call home

GRASSROOTS sport is celebrating completion of a £300,000 project to refurbish five pitches and changing rooms at Crossley Playing Fields, Chadderton.

The work has been done by Oldham Council, supported by the Premier League and the FA Facilities Fund, which provides grants towards developing new or refurbishing football facilities. The council joined the Manchester Football Association to win a £301,288 grant for the work.

Prior to the refurbishment, use of the pitches had declined significantly due to poor drainage and uneven surfaces. The communal changing rooms were unsuitable for use by children or mixed groups.

Councillor Graham Shuttleworth, chair of Chadderton District Executive, said: “The work has made a vast improvement to the site and the finished playing fields are a credit to the borough.”

The pitches have been levelled, re-soiled and seeded, and new drainage has been installed.