A NEW £650k football pitch which is set to transform sports provision in Pendle has been unveiled by a Burnley FC star.

Clarets defender Ben Mee officially opened the 3G all-weather pitch at Ss John Fisher and Thomas More RC High School in Colne.

Football chiefs said the state-of-the art pitch will help fill local football demand which has suffered due to a lack of adequate junior and full size pitches.

Funded by a grant from the Premier League and FA Facilities Fund, and Lancashire County Council, and delivered by the Football Foundation, it will be used by pupils, community clubs and Burnley FC’s Clarets Foundation delivering rugby, athletics and fitness sessions as well as football.

It is estimated it will result in a 97 per cent boost in sports provision for 14 to 25 year olds while developing provision for disability football, veterans and female sports.

Working with the Lancashire FA, the Gibfield Road school secured a £538,160 grant from the Premier League and the FA Facilities Fund and £100,000 from the council.

Mee, who has made nearly 200 appearances for Burnley since joining in 2012, said it is fantastic new facility for Lancashire.

He said: “You can see straight away the benefit the pitch is going to have.

“I remember when I was that age and it’s an important time to practice your skills. That is made a lot easier if you have a quality facility on your doorstep, not a muddy field that gets waterlogged or isn’t floodlit through the winter.

“I am really pleased to hear that the club’s Clarets’ Foundation will be so involved at the new pitch delivering great community initiatives.”

Simon Atkin, assistant headteacher, said: “Pendle has been in desperate need for a facility such as this for many years.

“Not only will fewer 11-a-side games be called off, but this site will now provide the area with four five-a-side pitches, two seven-a-side pitches and two nine-a-side pitches for junior football.”

He said the East Lancashire Alliance Junior League and Accrington and District Junior League will play on it during the winter while school teams will no longer have to walk a mile to local council pitches for their home games.

He also thanked Pendle Forest FC, Barrowford Celtic FC, Colne FC and Pendle Borough Council for their work.

Paul Thorogood, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “These facilities are more than places to play football at, these facilities are the bedrock of local communities."