A football club in March has secured a grant of more than £982, 000 to develop a new 3G pitch at Estover Playing Fields. March Town FC Estover CIC will use the funding to improve training and matchday facilities, with work expected to support players across the town and wider Fenland area. The football club said the project has been wanted for a long time and has now moved a major step closer.
Funding package backs long-running plans
The grant of £982, 381 comes from the Football Foundation, with backing from the Premier League, The Football Association and the UK Government. The money will deliver a full-size 3G pitch and is intended to ease pressure on the existing grass surfaces that have faced heavy year-round use. The football club also received £240, 000 from March Town Council and £30, 000 raised through fundraising by March Town FC, Estover CIC and user groups.
The project is being framed as a community investment as much as a sporting one. Once completed, the new surface is expected to serve March Town FC and March Town Youth FC first, while also opening access for women’s and girls’ football, disability sport and walking football.
Local leaders welcome the milestone
Lee Brownlow, chairman of March Town United, said the town had been “desperately” waiting for the 3G facility and said the result showed what can happen when a community pulls together. He also thanked the Football Foundation, Estover CIC and the community groups that helped with fundraising over several years.
Katie Critchley, football development manager at Cambridgeshire FA, called the funding “a significant achievement” and said it underlined a shared commitment to developing grassroots football in Fenland. Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said the pitch would give “more people access to a great place to play” and said good-quality facilities can bring people together and strengthen local communities.
What the new pitch is expected to change
The football club says the development should create a high-quality, all-weather surface that can be used more reliably across the seasons. It is also expected to reduce pressure on the grass pitches already in use at the site, which have had to cope with frequent demand.
A spokesperson for March Town Estover CIC Board said the project was the result of many years of fundraising and a strong push over the past two years. The board thanked the Football Foundation, March Town Council, Cambridgeshire FA and Fenland District Council for their support, while also pointing to fundraising efforts from March Town Youths and March Town FC.
Grassroots ambitions now move closer
The football club has said the new facility will widen access for current players and future generations, with a particular emphasis on wider community use. March Town Estover CIC said the project marks a major milestone for the best possible sporting facility in March.
With the grant secured, the next stage is delivery. The football club said it is looking forward to works beginning this year, turning a long-running ambition into a usable pitch that could reshape local football for years to come.
