A Happy New Year for Beamish Football Centre

MGM Construction will help turn a long-held dream for a local company into a reality when they break ground on an exciting community project in January.

Beamish Football Centre in Stanley, County Durham, is operating in old facilities and is full to capacity. The not-for-profit company behind the Centre has raised significant funds to transform the site, bringing even more benefits to the coalfield community.

Stanley Events have taken the PE block at the disused Stanley School of Technology and turned it into a community asset, combining football with training programmes to help adults find work. In this way the company has changed the lives of over 3,000 people by providing free training opportunities to help them find jobs.

Founded by Anna and Carl Marshall, Stanley Events has grown Beamish Football Centre to the point where it is now used 70 hours per week. Since 2015, Sunderland AFC’s Foundation of Light has also run courses from the venue. The Marshalls have spearheaded a successful fundraising campaign to transform the venue, which is now showing its age, into a state-of-the-art art centre of excellence for education and sport.

Stanley Events has awarded MGM Construction with the contract and the company will break ground in January.

Ryan Gardiner, Director of MGM Construction, said: “We’re delighted to have been selected as the construction partner for this fantastic community hub. We are working closely with Stanley Events to ensure they get the new home they deserve and can bring even more benefits to their community for many years to come.”

The goal is to create a community hub for education and skills development, as well as a centre for coaching excellence where footballers of all ability develop their love of the game. This asset can help revitalise the positive role that sport can play in County Durham and attract others from across the region to learn, play and enjoy themselves.

“These are facilities needed in Stanley, providing a safe space for youngsters to play, somewhere people can exercise, feel better and help their health and wellbeing in an area that isn’t rich with accessible sporting areas,” said Anna Marshall.

The new facility will significantly enhance the building’s appearance, creating a modern, spacious and welcoming environment, as well as delivering:

  • Larger rooms to allow more learners to access training courses
  • Extra space for socially distanced learning environment
  • A balconied terrace overlooking the pitches
  • A function room to stage events
  • A new bar and kitchen area
  • Indoor training space for education and fitness
  • Upgraded training facilities
  • Referee changing rooms
  • Enhanced meeting room space

Carl Marshall added: “We want a centre with top class sporting facilities, accessible to everyone. We have worked hard to rebuild usership and we’re now operating almost at capacity – it is the perfect time to take that next step forward.”

Read more here: