A WORLD-CLASS verdict was given by Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe on the standard of Boro's community facilities at Eston.
Mr Sutcliffe visited the centre yesterday to help launch new facilities at the Eston Centre, Sports Minister Gary Sutcliffe pictured with the children at Boro's Eston Sports Academy.
A £520,000 grant from the Football Foundation has enabled natural lighting to be installed at the centre and a new Astoturf pitch to be laid in the Herlingshaw Centre.
Outside grass pitches have had new irrigation and drainage installed.
The Football Foundation grant came on top of cash from One NorthEast which provided classrooms at the centre.
The Boro centre at Eston is used by 43,000 people a year. It employs 50 full-time staff and between 20 and 30 part-time staff.
After touring the facilities Mr Sutcliffe told the Gazette: "We are proud of the work the Football Foundation does and we want to see football and other sports doing their bit for communities. Middlesbrough has the largest community programme in the Premier League. It covers a wide age range and provides a holistic approach to the needs of this area.
"It has world-class facilities," said Mr Sutcliffe.
He said sport could be used to help raise educational attainment, to teach the importance of subjects such as health, fitness, eating healthily and to encourage self-respect.
"In this ever-changing world you have to offer the right facilities to engage young people," said the minister.
Paul Thorogood, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said the new facilities at Eston would be a big boost to sports provision in the area.
George Cooke, director of MFC in the Community, said more improvements for the centre were in the pipeline.
"With safe and high quality surfaces we are now able to extend our work to a far wider audience."
During his visit the minister saw children from Whale Hill Primary School using the facilities. He also saw girls from St Peter's School at South Bank training on the outdoor pitch.
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