'I'm proud of where I'm from, I know the talent here is incredible'

A new football pitch has been officially named by Chelsea and England footballer Niamh Charles. The footballer, who started out on the Wirral, hopes the new facility will help inspire the next generation of female footballers.

The Bidston Sports and Activity Centre’s new pitch will be named after Niamh Charles who grew up in Greasby, Wirral, trained at Bidston, and started her football career with the West Kirby Wasps. She currently plays for Chelsea and the England national team.

The Football Foundation, the FA and the Premier League are funding at least 30 new high standard facilities across the country with £30m following the Lionesses' success in the Euros in 2022 and the team making the final of the FIFA World Cup 2023. They said it was “one of many facilities they wanted to try and deliver in the Wirral over the next few years as football continues to thrive.”

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The Football Foundation previously helped fund new £2m pitches on the Woodchurch estate alongside a Wirral Council investment. The latest pitches at Bidston were funded by a £893,000 grant from the Premier League, the FA, the Football Foundation, and £207,000 from Wirral Council.

Instead of a muddy field, players will be able to use state of the art artificial turf which will be lit allowing it to be played during the dark and wet winter months. The land the pitch off Valley Road in the north end of Birkenhead sits on was previously wasteland.

At the opening event, Charles said she started playing on a muddy pitch, adding: “To have this as the norm would have been incredible. It’s really special to have that connection so close to where you played.

“That is an amazing facility that women and girls will get growing up rather than the little one I was on. It’s really nice for me to know that is what they are going to get and hopefully that will help them a lot.”

She said: “We’re definitely playing catch up in terms of accessibility. It’s getting better but there’s still a long way to go. It gives me hope it’s going to widen the talent. The players that are coming through now are going to be even better and playing in better facilities from earlier on which is only going to help.

“It’s the visibility. The success of the Lionesses has shown if you can see it, it inspires people to want to take part. It’s what’s going on on the grassroots level to give girls accessibility and this pitch will be massively helpful with that.”

“I can’t wait to see other people that come from the Wirral and that is very exciting because I am very proud of where I am from. I know that the talent here is incredible and I can’t wait to see other Lionesses from here.”

Bidston and St James councillor Brian Kenny said: “I think it’s absolutely fantastic. I only wish they had facilities like this when I was younger when people like me were obliged to play in the mud, in the rain. The money that’s been put into this will pay off in the future. It can be used all year round and it’s fantastic to see young people, particularly young girls playing football in facilities like this.”

He said people in the area “needed something positive in their lives to give them a boost,” adding: “I keep hearing stories that young people are spending too much time inside on the phone playing with games and I think it’s brilliant they’re being given a reason to go outside in the fresh air, getting exercise, and engaging with other young people.

“Obviously budgets are tight with our council in the Wirral and every other council but at the same time when facilities like this are available, what we need to do collectively is encourage as many people as possible to use the facilities that are here.”

Birkenhead MP Alison McGovern said demand for pitches at Bidston was high from people of all ages arguing the new facilities will “mean the world” for the local community, adding improving football pitches a key priority for the current Labour government. She said: “While I would be the first to criticise the last government for understandable reasons, I think it’s a cross party thing that you want good access to sport.

“The thing I would say is we know the pressures our schools have been under so if you think about the way schools haven’t been able to do sport, music, and culture in the way they would have wanted, our focus is on broadening that curriculum and making sure those broader school activities are there.

“Again just thinking about the primary schools that are so close to this area, having really good facilities right here will make their lives ten times easier.”