The Way to invest £10m in Wolverhampton's young people

And schools could feel the benefit with as many as 80 per cent of members at similar centres in the north of the country reporting better grades in class.

The £6m Liam Payne-backed centre is due to open early next year.

The project is being spearheaded by Wolves chairman Steve Morgan and has investors from all over the city.

Up to £1m will be pumped in each year to keep the club running, with organisers therefore predicting a £10m outlay over the next decade.

And chiefs said there be a £2 'social benefit' to the city's residents from every £1 spent on operating costs.

A report also indicates the wider impact of the centre, called The Way, could be significantly higher, with potential jobs being created for youngsters.

Similar youth zones already exist in Oldham and Wigan.

And surveys of members there suggested 89 per cent feel more self-confident as a result of attending.

Around three-quarters said they got on better with their family, while 80 per cent reported better results at school.

Kathryn Morley, chief executive of OnSide Youth Zones, said: "Every day we see the life-changing impact youth zones have on young people and their communities, so it's great to have the value this delivers to society quantified through research.

"The report highlights the importance of providing a safe environment for young people to engage in activities that develop the personal and social skills that will serve them well as they progress through education into adulthood and the world of work.

"It also demonstrates how well suited our multi-sector funding model is to the current climate, delivering strong social return on investment for local authority funding as well as influencing further savings across a range of public sector services."

One Direction superstar Payne, from Bushbury, gave his backing to the project when surprisingly attending a launch event last month.

He attended with his mother and father Geoff and Karen and girlfriend Sophia and said: "Wolverhampton is my home town and I am keen to give something back to the city that gave me a start in life."

The Way is being built on the site of the former Scala Cinema in Worcester Street.

It will be open to thousands of city youngsters and cater for five-a-side football, amateur dramatics, computer technology, music, dancing, basketball, netball and a host of other activities.

The centre will become just the second youth club in Wolverhampton, after up to 30 were axed last year by the council due to budget cuts.

It will be open to young people between the ages of eight and 19 who pay £5 a year in membership.