Olympic star opens new school pitch

STEYNING'S own Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell blew a whistle to officially open a new artificial turf pitch at the grammar school on Friday.

Sally said: "It is an absolute pleasure to open this facility and it is great to know we have such a pitch in Steyning.

"To me, sport is all about giving children opportunities to build their confidence and, on a personal note, my eight-year-old son has already used this pitch for his football training and came home saying how fantastic it is."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The school band played a specially written fanfare after Sally had opened the pitch and pupils ran on to show off their football and hockey skills.

Work on the pitch at Steyning Grammar School's Shooting Field site started last spring and was finished in December.

It was financed through the sale of land and is shared with neighbouring St Andrew's Primary School.

The pitch, which is floodlit, is sand-dressed and will be used mainly for football practice and hockey.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It can be divided into three sections, using nets, which allows several different activities to take place at the same time.

Head teacher Dr John Peat said: "This is an exciting project which will bring enormous benefits to all our students and the community.

"It is a valuable addition to our already extensive sporting facilities, which include football and rugby pitches, grass cricket wicket, floodlit tennis and basketball courts, fitness suite, dance studio, gym and sports hall, as well as the swimming pool.

"It also means students can take part in outdoor lessons even when the grass pitches are waterlogged and after-school sports activities can happen in winter, because the pitch is floodlit.

"We can now host hockey home fixtures in competitions and offer a BTEC in sport from September."

Related topics: