Aylsham Sports Hub Stage 2

Aylsham Sports Hub is a significant community sports facility based at Aylsham High School in Broadland. It offers affordable sports provision for community use, including swimming, classes and pitch/court bookings. Aylsham Sports Hub is wholly owned by Aylsham Community Organisation.  All profits are re-invested into additional facilities and the schools of Aylsham Learning Federation for the benefit of the children, their families, and the community.

A multistage programme of works is planned for this site, including:

• Stage 1: Swimming Pool (Complete)
• Stage 2: 3G Artificial Grass Pitch (this project)
• Stage 3: Gym/Fitness centre and multiuse hall

This project successfully delivered stage 2 of the scheme: the provision of a floodlit, full-size artificial grass pitch which can be sub-sectioned to 4 smaller pitches, suitable for football, hockey and multi-sports training such as rugby and athletics.

The Greater Norwich Growth Board provided £384,750 funding to this project, over 50% of the project budget for this stage. The new facilities address a specific demand recognized by both the Football Association and the local community. This project presented a significant opportunity to support the needs of Aylsham’s expanding population and the neighbouring communities, particularly given the rapid growth that the town has experienced.

Since its completion in 2020 the 3G pitch has been accredited by both the FA and FIFA as an approved facility and is well utilised, running at 95% capacity during peak times. There are 21 local Broadland clubs with over 50 teams that use the facility at a variety of levels, including walking football teams. In partnership with the school, a local rugby training academy has been set up to support access to rugby for young people in the area - the first of its type in Norfolk. The 3G pitch has also provided the capacity for increased participation in hockey and other sports. The increased capacity also means that the school can set up a range of coached sport sessions to form part of accessible programmes that can link into holiday and weekend provision as part of the Holiday Activity Fun programme, which is already running through Active Norfolk.