A major new community sports hub in Hailsham is set to give hundreds of local people more opportunities to get active, with grassroots football, netball, tennis and padel all on offer.
The Wealden Community Sports Hub, which opened last month in New North Street, Hailsham, will support more than 130 football teams from across the district, including clubs from Heathfield, Hailsham, Pevensey, Polegate, Uckfield and surrounding communities.
Ten grassroots football clubs will use the new facility, including Heathfield & Horam, Hailsham United Juniors, Pevensey & Westham, Ticehurst, Polegate Town, AFC Uckfield Town, Stone Cross Royals, Eastbourne Wanderers and others.
Increasing opportunities for women and girls
A key focus of the new hub is making sport more accessible, particularly for women and girls. At least 25% of peak-time football slots will be allocated to women and girls, with three Women’s Flex-League teams – Heathfield & Horam, Pevensey & Westham and Eastbourne – based at the site.
There will also be a range of more informal sessions for people who want to play for fun, keep fit or return to sport. These will include Football for All, Gals FC and the ‘Keep Fitters’ over-30s group, as well as new opportunities for girls through the Brighton & Hove Albion Foundation.
It is not just football on offer.
Boost Netball will use the hub two evenings a week and on Saturday mornings, while Eastbourne Netball League will run junior and adult sessions on two evenings each week.
The wider site also includes padel tennis courts, tennis courts, a café, children’s play area and skatepark, making it a facility for families as well as organised sports teams.
Padel courts can be booked through the Playtomic app.
Councillor Kelvin Williams, Wealden District Council’s lead councillor for Public Health and Asset Management, said the hub was designed to give more people the chance to take part in sport.
“The Wealden Community Sports Hub is about opening opportunities for everyone to enjoy sport, particularly those who may have faced barriers to taking part,” he said.
“By investing in facilities and creating more opportunities for women and girls, we can help reduce inequality in sport and give more people the chance to be active, develop their skills and feel part of a team in their community.”
The facility is being operated by Leisure United, which manages community sports hubs across England on behalf of the National Football Trust.
Mark Coulson, Leisure United Chief Executive Officer, said the organisation wanted the Hailsham hub to become a welcoming place for the whole community.
“Our ambition is to create a hub where everyone feels welcome and has the opportunity to get active, whether that’s through grassroots football, netball, padel or tennis,” he said.
“We’re particularly proud of the opportunities the Hub will create for women and girls.”
Any profit generated by the site will be reinvested into grassroots sport across the district.
The £16.7 million project has been funded by Wealden District Council, which contributed £13.2 million, together with a £3.5 million grant from the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation through its Hubs Programme.
For communities from Heathfield and Horam through to Hailsham, Polegate, Pevensey and beyond, the new hub provides a significant new base for local sport – whether you are part of a team, looking to try something new or simply want somewhere for the family to get active.
The Wealden Community Sports Hub is at New North Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 4GF.