Trustees wanted for Sunderland's £18m community football hubs

Sunderland Football Trust, the new charity which will be responsible for the strategic management of the three brand new community football hubs in the city is looking for at least two trustees to join its board, it has been announced.

The facilities are being developed by the Premier League, The Football Association and Government, via Sport England in partnership with Sunderland City Council and the Football Foundation. Construction of the new football hubs began in January at Ford Quarry, Community North Sports Complex and Northern Area Playing Fields.

City leaders say that all three are due to become operational later this year, allowing football to be played across the sites in the 2019/20 football season.

The project will see the construction of 10 "state of the art" 3G Football Turf Pitches, one of which will be rugby compliant, complemented by pavilions with social space and changing areas and much improved ancillary facilities.

In 2018 the trust and council jointly procured leisure operator Pulse Soccer to operate each of the three sites. Councillor Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “This is a hugely exciting and unique opportunity to be part of the driving force for community football within Sunderland. "The city council has worked tirelessly with the Football Foundation and key partners over the past three years to shape the Sunderland Football Hubs project.

"And we're delighted to be represented on the trust alongside our partners The Foundation of Light and Durham County FA.

"But we know that there's a wealth of knowledge and experience in the city and surrounding areas and we're calling on anyone who thinks they've got what it takes to be a part of Sunderland’s new community football journey to come forward. “The trust is looking for people with a genuine passion and desire to make a real difference to community football in Sunderland, to play their part in making sure that the city has a portfolio of first class community football facilities for years to come”. Sunderland Football Trust is looking to appoint a minimum of two Independent Trustees to the board on a voluntary basis. The Trust is seeking individuals with extensive experience and knowledge gained in the areas of strategic planning for sport and expertise in using sport as a tool for inclusion and delivering wider social outcomes. It is also seeking for one of the independent Trustees to become the Trust’s Chair.

An application pack to apply for one of the roles can be downloaded at www.sunderland.gov.uk/parklife

The closing date for applications is midnight on Sunday, March 10, and interviews will be held during the week beginning Monday, March 18.