The future of a Wickford football field used by hundreds of youngsters has been secured by a partnership between a local soccer club and the Rotary Club of Wickford.

The three acre playing field in Southend Road was left in trust to the youth of Wickford by a Colonel Burton in the late 1950s, but was later acquired by Essex County Council.

Wickford Town Youth FC (WYTFC) and the Rotary Club have been working for 18 months to see how they could buy back the vital sports facility for the people of Wickford to keep its future safe.

Peter Jerman, from the Rotary Club, said: "We are aware that young people need facilities within the town and this goes some way towards addressing that problem.

"The money for this project has come from donations made by members specifically for this project.

"Our members wanted to protect a facility for Wickford and make sure it could not be used for anything else.

"Essex County Council owned the land, but to them it was just another asset, which could have been sold in the future.

"Now the football club knows it is not going to be kicked off and has a ground as long as they want it."

The two clubs worked with the county council on the project and eventually bought the field through the Discretionary Assisted Purchase Scheme. The county council also supported the project through a grant.

Neither the football club or the Rotary Club would disclose the amount paid, but the actual value of the land must be substantial considering the demand for development land in the south of Essex.

WTYFC, which will now have exclusive use of the field, is a rapidly growing club with 12 teams running from under sevens to under 15s.

The club has around 250 members and it is expecting to double in size over the next few years as Wickford's population continues to grow.

Football club secretary Richard Neville said: "We are delighted by this.

"We have been using the playing fields for around 25 years, but purchasing the land has always been something we wanted to pursue.

"It is only with the generous support of the Rotary Club and the grant from the county council that we have finally been able to do so.

"We have seen an explosion in membership over the last three years and we know that there is going to be a massive demand for this facility in the future."

The Rotary Club is also funding work to clear up and further improve the playing fields.

WTYFC is always looking for new players of all standards and is also considering setting up a girls team.

For more details call Tony Silk on 01268 571785.

Happy: Tony Silk, chairman of Wickford Town Football, left, with Chris O'Connell, Rotary Club president

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