Cheshire FA proposes women’s football facility in Winsford

Summary: Cheshire FA and Cheshire West and Chester Council collaborating on proposals to develop football and community facility at Knights Grange Golf Club site in Winsford

What is happening

Cheshire FA has identified Knights Grange Golf Club in Winsford as its preferred site for a proposed elite women’s football facility.
This will be the first major women’s sport and leisure complex of its kind in Europe and is expected to create jobs, attract thousands of visitors and pump millions into community sports facilities.

The project will be developed through a collaboration between Cheshire FA, Cheshire West and Chester Council and ION Developments as well as national sporting facilities grant providers.  Cheshire FA is also working in partnership with a Women’s Super League team with a view to becoming tenants of the new site for training and FA Women’s Super League matches. Women’s football is the fastest growing sport in the world and this would be the first female team in the country to have its own purpose-built performance centre.

The project will also be of huge benefit to the local community. It will help to support grass root football development and deliver wider health and wellbeing community benefits. The public will have access to high quality facilities and opportunities to get active and take part
in a range of activities to suit all abilities.  Facilities on the site will include the following.
 Ladies Football Club training base.
 3,000 capacity football stadium, including 1,000 seats.
 Elite quality 3G outdoor football pitches.
 Elite quality indoor 3G football pitch, the first of its kind available to the grassroots community.
 A high quality sports medical facility for rehabilitation, preventative and precautionary care of elite athletes and sports participants.
 A luxury ‘destination’ hotel and spa, wellbeing and conferencing facility.
 An ‘Urban Attack’ outdoor adventure and adventurous public attraction.
 Classroom and education facilities to help support encourage sixth form, university or college courses.
 Office and catering facilities as well as high quality changing areas for grassroots teams using the site.

There will be full engagement and consultation with residents as the development begins to take shape. This development will be of huge benefit to the community. The public will have access to high quality facilities and opportunities to get active and take part in a range of
activities to suit all abilities. The development will ensure that the public continue to have access to all of the walking, fishing and outdoor leisure pursuits.

When it is happening

There will be activity on site in order to conduct site and land investigations and this will be closely followed with a planning application.
For further information, contact: Lisa Harris, Director of Place Strategy
Email: lisa.harris@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
Responsible Committee, Cabinet Member: Councillor Louise Gittins, Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing
Date: 5 March 2019