As construction of the new homes at North Stoneham Park continues to dominate the news, the work at the new £8 million state-of-the-art football hub on Old Stoneham Lane might have gone undetected until now.
The new Eastleigh Parklife Football Hub is set to become one of the biggest of such hubs in the country and it’s all thanks to the support of the Park’s developer, Highwood, and Eastleigh Borough Council, which has granted consent for the new facilities.
In the early days of the North Stoneham Park planning process, Highwood acquired the land, but subsequently transferred ownership to Eastleigh Borough Council, who went on to partner the Football Association (FA) to get the scheme underway. Grant funding was gratefully received from the Football Foundation, Sport England and the Premier League as well as the Council.
The Hub comprises three full-size, floodlit 3G artificial grass pitches, a number of junior and senior grass pitches, an eight-changing room pavilion with a clubroom and café. It will be the new home of AFC Stoneham, which is relocating to the Monks Brook pitches from their ground off Chestnut Avenue at North Stoneham Park.
The Hub will also become the new home of the Eastleigh and District Mini Soccer League (EDMSL) whose 130 local young teams will relish the chance to train and compete on the new multipurpose and 3G pitches.
‘The new Football Hub is going to make a huge difference to almost 150 football teams in the immediate area,’ commented Simon Beech, Land Director at Highwood. ‘We saw the potential that new football facilities would make to the local community and knew it would mirror the new homes and other local amenities we’re creating for Eastleigh. It was a privilege for Highwood to make a contribution to hundreds of sports fans, including the general public, who will be able to get active, play and socialise at the new grounds.’
Work at the new hub, which will be known as ‘Stoneham Lane’ has already commenced with groundworks complete and the frame for the new pavilion building up. The facilities will be open later in 2019 in readiness for the 2019/2020 season.
To find out more about North Stoneham Park and the new community amenities it will bring for the benefit of the residents of Eastleigh, please visit www.northstonehampark.co.uk. You can arrange to view the new homes at the Park by contacting our Sales Team on 023 8001 1620.
In the meantime, if you’d like to stay up to date with news from in and around the Park, sign up to receive regular e-shots and like the development’s Facebook page at NorthStonehamPark.