PRESS RELEASE
Works are underway to deliver a Football Foundation PlayZone in Sandown, thanks to £250,000 grant from the Premier League, The FA and the Government’s Football Foundation.
In April 2025 Sandown Town Council were awarded a £250,000 grant from the Football Foundation to construct a new PlayZone, which are small-sided facilities designed by the local community to host football as well as a variety of other sports.
Like all PlayZones, the pitch has been designed based on extensive engagement with Sandown local residents to ensure it will meet the needs and preferences of the local community.
Based on this engagement, the PlayZone will be used for football, cricket and netball. Working with England Netball and the Isle of Wight Cricket Board, the Bay Youth Project will use the new small-sided pitch to deliver community outreach programmes.
Meanwhile, a local grassroots football club, Sandown and Lake Football Club, who previously had struggled to find pitch space, will be use the PlayZone for training and as a space to grow their girls’ provision. England Netball will also be delivering adult sessions from the space.
This project has also been supported by an additional £152,000 from Sandown Town Council.
Alex Lightfoot, Mayor, Sandown Town Council said:
“This Football Foundation PlayZone will be a community-led space which will be designed to make physical activity more accessible to Sandown Residents, promoting inclusivity, as well as providing a space for the youth of Sandown and other priority groups to participate in sports which would not otherwise be accessible to them”.
Robert Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said:
“When it comes to tackling the greatest inequalities to becoming active, the Football Foundation knows a ‘one-size fits all’ approach doesn’t work. That’s why community LED engagement is at the heart of our PlayZones programme.
As with all PlayZones the new facility at Sandown Grounds has been shaped by the local community in Sandown who’ll be able to step out onto the pitch and get active in a way that suits them.
“Thanks to the funding we received from our partners – the Premier League, The FA and the Government, the Foundation will be delivering over 200 PlayZones like this one across the country”
The PlayZone is expected to open in January 2026.
To find out more about the Football Foundation PlayZones programme, visit their website https://footballfoundation.org.uk/play zones-programme.
ENDS
For more information on the PlayZone at Sandham Grounds, please contact:
The Clerk at clerks@sandowtowncouncil.gov.uk.
Notes to editors
About the Football Foundation
The Football Foundation is the Premier League, The FA and Government’s charity that delivers outstanding grassroots facilities, more and better places to play, transforming lives and communities where it is needed most.
The Foundation’s goal is to unlock the power of pitches ensuring every community has a great place to play regardless of gender, race, disability or place.
Since its creation in 2000, the Foundation has £1.3 billion to improve grassroots facilities across the country – including 1,300 3G pitches, 15,000 grass pitches and 1,700 changing rooms. This has attracted an additional £1.5 billion of partnership funding – totalling over £2.7 billion investment in grassroots football so far.
In partnership with local authorities, County FAs and other community stakeholders, the Foundation has created Local Football Facility Plans for every local authority in England. These Plans act as a blueprint for providing the grassroots football facility improvements that each community needs and deserves across the country.
Visit footballfoundation.org.uk for more information on the Foundation and view the Plan for your local area.