District Dispatch — 12 September

We’re proud that our 17 grass sports pitches in Chichester are home to many of these clubs, offering the facilities needed for a whole range of different activities, including rugby, football, American flag football, ultimate frisbee, bootcamp classes, softball, and cricket.

Our leisure centres in Chichester, Midhurst, and Southbourne are managed by Everyone Active and offer first-class fitness and leisure facilities. These include squash courts, sports halls, health rehabilitation programmes, more than 80 classes, and a swimming pool at Westgate Leisure Centre! You can find out more about the activities available here: www.chichester.gov.uk/leisurecentres

Earlier this year, the council helped to fund Chichester’s first full-size 3G artificial pitch! To help deliver this amazing facility, the council allocated £300k of Section 106 money, which is funding collected from housing developers to spend on new or improved sport and leisure facilities. Chichester City Football Club provided a generous contribution to the project, and we’re also very grateful for the significant funding and technical support offered by the Football Foundation.

There’s been a huge demand for this new facility, which is helping to meet the existing and future needs of our city’s premier football club and is also providing fantastic opportunities to grow participation in football — including amongst underrepresented groups, such as women and disabled people — as well as other health and wellbeing activities in the wider community.

Whatever the sport, the district offers an opportunity for everyone! Oaklands Park has four full-sized rugby pitches, a pavilion, and a full-sized softball/baseball pitch that can also be used for rounders and stoolball! It is home to Chichester Rugby Club and Chichester parkrun, a free weekly 5k event that celebrated its 10th anniversary this summer: www.parkrun.org.uk/chichester.

For younger runners, there’s a junior parkrun based in Chichester’s Priory Park, which offers a free, fun 2k run for 4 to 14-year-olds every week: www.parkrun.org.uk/priorypark-juniors. Priory Park also boasts a cricket pitch and the oldest bowls club in Sussex, dating back to 1881 — records also show that the bowling green existed as far back as 1658! During the summer season, this bowling green is open daily and can also be booked by the public anytime other than on Chichester Bowls Club match days.

If you’re interested in playing tennis, we have seven public tennis courts in Oaklands Park, which are all managed by the Chichester Racquet and Fitness Club. You’re able to book these in advance by contacting the club by calling: 01243 785664 or emailing: [email protected]

Our parks and gardens team keep the pitches in tip-top shape, from checking the goalposts and equipment, to carrying out grass cutting and marking lines, making sure that the pitches are ready for use.

All these facilities, and the clubs that use them, play a vital role in making a positive difference in our local communities. Open spaces and sports facilities provide a hub for people to meet, socialise, exercise, and connect with their local environment, helping to promote the physical and mental wellbeing of our residents.

As part of our commitment to supporting local clubs and growing participation in sports, our Sport and Leisure team are keen to work with local sports clubs to make our pitches home to as many teams as possible. If you’re a local team interested in using our pitches, our friendly Sport and Leisure team are keen to hear from you. You can contact them by emailing: [email protected]

Best Wishes

Cllr John Cross Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Place at Chichester District Council