Leah Williamson pitch unveiled at Newport Pagnell FC

England captain Leah Williamson returned to her hometown today to celebrate the opening of The Leah Williamson Pitch at Newport Pagnell Town FC, one of the sites to receive Lionesses Futures Fund grants. 

This £30m cash injection from the Premier League, the FA and Government’s Football Foundation was announced last year to recognise the trailblazing success of the Lionesses. The grants will help to provide women and girls across the country with gold standard facilities and experiences, through reserved peak-time slots and welcoming changing rooms.

Since the Lionesses lifted the EURO trophy in 2022, 68,000 more girls are playing football compared to before the tournament. However, too often, badly lit pitches, unsuitable changing facilities and late-night kick-off times put women and girls off taking to the pitch. 

To celebrate the Lionesses roaring to victory at the 2022 UEFA EUROs and their achievement of making the final at FIFA World Cup 2023, £25m from the Government and £5m from The FA was committed to supporting the improvement of at least 30 facilities across the country.

The Leah Williamson Pitch is just one of 14 sites across the country from Oldham to the New Forest and Suffolk to Somerset that has been awarded a Lionesses Futures Fund grant. By January 2025 further sites will be in place to provide every woman and girl the facilities they need and deserve.

Here to play. Here to stay.

The @Lionesses Futures Fund is giving priority access to women and girls thanks to an additional £30m investment from the The FA and Government ✅

Delivered by the @FootballFoundtn, the charity of the @premierleague, @FA and @DCMS 💚 pic.twitter.com/tWVz37ogP8

— Football Foundation (@FootballFoundtn) August 12, 2024

Leah Williamson said:

"It is such an honour to be here to see one of the first Lionesses Futures Fund pitches come to life, something I know the squad is incredibly proud of. This pitch will provide the very best playing experience for local women and girls, ensuring they can play at decent times and on a state-of-the-art pitch.

"To meet some of the players who will get the opportunity to lace up their boots to play on this great pitch has been magic! I feel so proud to be a Lioness and proud of the whole team for inspiring women and girls to play football."

Robert Sullivan, CEO of the Football Foundation, said: 

"It’s a real pleasure to be here to unveil one of the first 3G pitches that a Lionesses Futures Fund Grant has made possible. For the pitch to be named after local footballing legend Leah Williamson in recognition of the Lionesses recent successes will be incredibly inspiring for the players here at Newport Pagnell Town. 

"This Fund builds on the Football Foundation’s biggest ever commitment to providing equal access to grassroots facilities for women and girls.

"Over 8,500 women’s and girls’ football teams were playing at sites that have benefitted from Football Foundation funding last season, whether that be for new goalposts, improved grass pitches or brand-new changing pavilions and 3G pitches.

"Thanks to the funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government, we’re delivering 30 pitches like this across the country to support the growing demand for football we’ve seen following the Lionesses’ inspirational success."

Sports Minister, Stephanie Peacock, said:

"Thousands more women and girls are playing football since the Lionesses lifted the Women's EURO 2022 trophy, so building welcoming facilities for them to get on the pitch is now more important than ever.

"As captain of the Lionesses, Leah Williamson has provided leadership both on and off the pitch and this facility in Newport Pagnell will give many more women and girls the chance to follow in her footsteps."