Football club officials whose teams use a community football pitch at Scarborough Sports Village have welcomed the completion of a project that secures its long-term future.
We have overseen a comprehensive package of repairs at the home ground of Scarborough Athletic Football Club and Scarborough Ladies Football Club over the past six months.
The work followed a site survey conducted last year which highlighted a number of key issues that needed to be addressed before a new playing surface could be laid – resulting in the pitch being unavailable for competitive fixtures and community use.
From the outset, the council pledged to ensure the repairs were carried out as quickly as possible and to the highest possible standard, while promising that all works would be completed in time for the new 2026/27 football season, which begins in August.
Today (Thursday), senior councillors and council staff joined representatives from both football clubs and Willmott Dixon, the construction company that carried out the main phase of the repairs, to mark the official completion of the project.
Executive member for leisure, Cllr Simon Myers, was among those in attendance. He said: “I’m delighted that this important project has been completed.
“Crucially, the work has been delivered ahead of schedule and at a reduced cost to the taxpayer, with Willmott Dixon covering the structural repairs while the council carried out the pitch resurfacing.”
“We made a clear commitment to make sure the pitch was ready for the start of the new season, and I know that will be welcomed by both clubs and the wider community.
“We fully recognise the impact that the closure has had over the past year, particularly on Scarborough Athletic, Scarborough Ladies and their supporters. I would like to thank you everyone for their patience and cooperation while the work was carried out.
“This has been a real team effort, and I’m looking forward to seeing the pitch back in action and welcoming people for the first fixture later this month.”
Structural works to provide a stable base for the new pitch were completed by Willmott Dixon, paving the way for the playing surface to then be laid.
The commercial manager at Willmott Dixon, Eddie Pearson, said: “It’s been fantastic to attend the launch of Scarborough Athletic’s new pitch and to see the excitement from the whole community as the club prepare to return home ahead of the new season.
“The collaboration and teamwork between ourselves, North Yorkshire Council and the club has allowed us to reach this position and ensure the ground is ready in good time so that football can return to Scarborough next season.”
While the works were carried out, the Sports Village was unavailable for competitive fixtures for the 2025/26 season. During this time, Scarborough Athletic played its home fixtures at Bridlington Town’s ground.
The Seadogs have since announced that their first fixture back at the Scarborough Sports Village will be a pre-season friendly against Barnsley on Saturday, July 25, with a 1pm kick-off.
The chairman of Scarborough Athletic FC, Trevor Bull, said: “"Having had a tough year effectively playing every game away from home, we are delighted to be coming home to play back at the Scarborough Sports Village.
“This will allow us to be back in front of our home supporters, many of which were unable to follow us at Bridlington. It will also allow our 200 young players to recommence their training at the stadium.
“The quality of the new pitch is fantastic which underpins our ambition for promotion, I would like to thank North Yorkshire Council for delivering the project, as promised.”
The vice-chairman of Scarborough Ladies FC, Will Watts, added: “We are very excited to be bringing our 120 players back to the Sports Village to train on such a high-quality pitch.
“For more than 20 years, we’ve been proud to provide grassroots opportunities on the Yorkshire Coast, helping hundreds of girls to play football and develop both on and off the pitch.
“We are proud of the club’s unique and inclusive environment, and we welcome girls of all abilities aged five to 18 who want to get involved in the game.”