Manea football coaches and players take aim to raise cash for new pitches
Coaches and players from a village football clubs will be lacing up their walking boots to take part in a 27-mile walk to raise funds for new pitches.
The group of volunteer coaches from Manea Strikers Youth Football, the coach, and members of the Manea Sirens Ladies Football Club are planning the fundraising adventure for Easter Monday (April 21).
They will be leaving the village at around 3am with the aim of arriving at the Abbey Stadium in Cambridge in time to watch the 3pm kick-off between Cambridge United and Leyton Orient.
Young players aged between six and 16 will be meeting their coaches to join them for the last two miles.
The goal of the day is to raise as much as possible to provide paths, fencing, and storage solutions for the new football pitches being created, thanks to the parish council, which has secured an extra seven acres for sports pitches alongside the existing playing field in Park Road.
It is hoped the new facilities will be ready in time for the new season this autumn.
The new area has been purchased using money contributed by developers under Section 106 to improve services in the village.
As previously reported in the Citizen, the proposal to buy the land came from the parish council’s chair, Ben Bonos, who said: “For as long as I’ve been part of the parish council, it has been apparent that the playing field doesn’t offer enough space.
“There are more than 200 registered football players in the village spread across more than 10 teams.”
By providing the additional space, there is the potential to double the participation, particularly with women players – there are currently two women’s sides, with a second team launched this season.
The new 7.21 acres will be used to provide 5v5 pitches, another full-size adult 11v11 pitch, a seven-a-side pitch and one for nine-a-side too.
A GoFundme page has been set up by Manea Utd Strikers with a target of £1,000, the new pitches have already been grassed, but money is needed to pay for pathways, fencing and storage together with other football equipment.
