Football training ground set for £1.6m upgrade

A football centre which has produced a raft of top players is set to undergo a £1.6m redevelopment.

Work will start on the overhaul of Beamish Football Centre in Stanley, County Durham, in January.

The site, once home to the old PE block at the former Stanley School of Technology, will include upgraded training facilities.

Stanley Events' Carl Marshall, who runs the centre with wife Anna, said it would deliver "something special" for the community.

Those behind the project hope it will "help nurture" the North East's next generation of football stars.

In the past Newcastle United's Jamie and Lewis Miley have trained there, as well as Coventry’s Ben Wilson, and ex-Everton defender Lewis Gibson.

Sunderland AFC’s Foundation of Light regularly stages coaching programmes at the site.

An artist’s impression of the plans has been released.

Ryan Gardiner, from North East firm MGM Construction, which will work on the project, described it as a "real asset" for the area.

“The centre is going to cement Beamish Football Centre’s reputation as a major grassroots footballing force in the North East, while providing an upgraded, vibrant space that will benefit the wider community," he said.

A new bar and a function space will also be developed, along with indoor training spaces.

Funding for the project was secured from the Youth Investment Fund.