A dream could come true for hundreds of sporting youngsters if a project by a youth football club gets cash backing.

Valley Green Youth Football Club in Witham has been searching for a home of its own for ten years.

At present its players have to train on seven different grounds.

It wants to create a sporting complex in the town to benefit its 200 members and the public.

Earlier this year its plans were frustrated when it could not find a suitable site.

But now club chairman Ian Bacon said the club believes it has found a site at Stevens Road which could be ideal but it would need around £250,000 spent on it.

The 25-year-old site, containing seven football pitches, is owned by Braintree Council.

Mr Bacon has already made inquiries with the council with the idea of either going into partnership with it to run the site or buying it outright.

This in turn would require lottery funding.

Mr Bacon said if the club's dream did come about it would not in any way affect others at present using the site.

And he said it would provide facilities not just for football, but for cricket and hockey as well.

"It is possible we would be able to bring down the cost of hiring it as well," he said. "Our philosophy is to make sport available to everyone."

The club is already talking to potential sponsors and is advertising for a fundraising manager and a child protection officer.

Mr Bacon said: "We would also put in five-a-side training pitches which would convert to mini-soccer pitches and make the pitches all-weather ones."

Valley Green Football Club was founded 27 years ago and caters for boys and girls aged from five up to 18.

No-one was available at Braintree Council to comment specifically on the Valley Green proposal but a spokeswoman said it was generally the case everywhere that pitches were underused.

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