Final touches to the £1.2m project are due to complete within the next few weeks.
As one of the host towns for the Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) in England, Warrington has benefitted from a major injection of funding from the RLWC2021 “CreatedBy” legacy fund, receiving £600,000 towards a new 3G pitch facility at Victoria Park.
The council worked in partnership with Wolves Foundation to secure the funding, with the remainder of the project being funded with capital investment from the council.
The pitch, part of Warrington’s Central 6 Masterplan, will be a key venue for the England Talent Programme and will support community rugby including increasing women’s and disability rugby opportunities, as well as being used by the Warrington Wolves team.
Local players and community clubs will have the opportunity to use the high-quality facilities both for training and competitive match play, regardless of age, ability or gender. This includes the intention to make the new facility the home of Women and Girls’ Rugby League in the borough. It also represents a significant milestone in terms of the ongoing project to increase and improve community green spaces and facilities within the Central 6 masterplan area – something Warrington residents highlighted as a priority.
Cllr Tony Higgins, cabinet member for leisure and community said: “We are delighted that this scheme is nearing completion. It will be a fantastic asset that will meet the needs of our communities, now and in the future.
“Warrington is a town known for its love of rugby league and this new pitch is an important part of our ambitions to create a local centre of excellence and support our continued legacy of being a proud rugby league town.
“Not only will the pitch greatly benefit local rugby league groups, schools and, of course, Wolves, but it will also be used as a venue for the showcase Physical Disability Rugby League (PDRL) tournament during this year’s Rugby League World Cup, when Warrington will host five international PDRL teams, as well as the Papua New Guinea men’s team and three men’s group games at the Halliwell Jones stadium.”
For more information about Warrington’s part in the RLWC2021 tournament, visit warrington.gov.uk/rlwc2021
You can keep up to date with Warrington’s RLWC2021 news by following @Wtonrlwc21 on Facebook and Twitter.
