A NEW £1 million sports facility is close to completion at a York school.

The floodlit 3G artificial grass pitch at Millthorpe School will be available all year round to their pupils and those from nearby Scarcroft School, together with other York schools and community groups when it is completed by the end of this month.

It has been developed through the City of York Council scheme to create additional school places at Scarcroft and helps to increase the amount of outdoor space available.

Community groups will be able to use the pitch outside of the school day and during the school holidays. Hamilton Panthers, York City Kick About and Bishopthorpe White Rose are already lined up to take advantage of the new facility.

The facility is close to the existing sports hall and will be accessible for outside users via the school’s Philadelphia Terrace entrance. The development includes on-site car parking spaces next to the pitch, with provision for disabled visitors, secure cycle parking and electric vehicle charging.

The pitch is suitable for junior 11-a-side football and features include energy-efficient floodlighting, along with portable goals and pitch markings to meet the requirements of a variety of different game formats and age ranges.

Gemma Greenhalgh, Head of School at Millthorpe, said: “It has been the aspiration of our governing body for years to have such an exciting facility like this. We are grateful to City of York Council for funding it. The artificial grass pitch, or AGP as we will call it, means we can now guarantee all-year round outdoor sport at Millthorpe – previously, the lower part of the field was too waterlogged to use in bad weather.

“Not only will its opening enrich both Millthorpe and Scarcroft schools but also the nearby community, who currently have some distance to travel to enjoy anything of a similar standard.”

Councillor Ian Cuthbertson, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “I am delighted that we shall see the completion of this development, which will benefit not only school pupils but many sports clubs in the community.

“In these difficult times, all-year-round outdoor exercise is more important than ever to our children and young people’s physical and mental health. This facility means members of the community will also experience those benefits.”

Millthorpe School is part of the South Bank Multi-Academy Trust.