EDGE delivers first football foundation playzone under new framework
Added by Love Business East Midlands | 20 March 2024
The Premier League, The FA and government’s Football Foundation has opened the first PlayZone in Normanton Park, Derby, thanks to a £180k grant from the UK’s biggest sports charity.
The project, which was also supported by an investment of £35k from Sporting Communities and £25k from Derby City Council, has delivered a refurbished 600sqm 2G sand-dress astroturf with a smart access booking system opened to recreational football, netball and cricket players.
The facility is the first Football Foundation PlayZone to open and the first to be delivered by leading property and construction consultancy EDGE, in collaboration with LK2 and Sports Labs.
The Football Foundation PlayZones programme will provide small-sided multisport facilities in some of the most inactive inner-city areas which, whilst football led, will host a variety of sports that are designed with and shaped by the communities using them.
In a major commission for its sports and leisure team, EDGE has been selected as the framework management consultant and the sole supplier for over 240 PlayZones to be delivered over the next three years under the PlayZone programme. EDGE will provide employers’ agent services and work alongside supply chain partners and experts in testing technology, Sports Labs, and specialist sporting architecture firm, LK2.
Josh Barber, senior project manager, leisure and culture lead at EDGE, said:
“To have been appointed on the Football Foundation’s PlayZones programme is a huge milestone for us and a particular source of pride for our leisure and culture sector, one of our key growth areas of the business.
“The Football Foundation has already invested more than £1 billion in grassroots facilities projects around the country, and we can’t wait to support them in increasing participation levels through improving facilities and access for the UK’s national game for all. We’re really looking forward to working with our existing supply chain partners and strengthening relationships with those involved to further open opportunities in the sector.”
The framework services provided will play to EDGE’s strengths in the sector, having delivered a combination of project management and quantity surveying services on Stockport Borough Council’s Marple Community Centre, Lambeth Borough Council’s Horizons Leisure Centre, Chellaston Academy’s Sports Centre and the University of Leeds’ Brownlee Centre.
Andy Newman, director at LK2, said:
“It’s a privilege to be part of the team working with leading consultancies EDGE and Sports Labs. Delivering these schemes will provide increased opportunity for sport and help transform communities, along with increasing our portfolio and profile within the Sport, Leisure, and Cultural sectors. This follows on from success on a number of other national Sports and Leisure frameworks.”
Keith Macpherson, associate director at Sports Labs, said:
“We are delighted to be appointed alongside EDGE and LK2 in our role as the Specialist Testing Service, within the Football Foundation’s PlayZones Programme. The role complements our current appointment as the STC with the Football Foundation AGP Framework. We look forward to working with our fellow Framework partners and alliance members to increase participation in community sport via the PlayZones Programme in a safe and enjoyable environment.”
The Football Foundation framework is one of seven national frameworks and 16 regional frameworks that EDGE is appointed to, further demonstrating the continued growth within the public and private sectors across the UK.
For more information on EDGE and its services, follow the link below: https://www.edgeps.co.uk/
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