Sporting Khalsa have a home they can be proud of
Boss Ian Rowe has shared his pride at Sporting Khalsa's £1million stadium revamp, declaring: "I can't praise the club high enough."
The Willenhall-based side have unveiled a fresh 3G playing surface and a new 320-seater stand at the Aspray Arena.
A huge chunk of funding came in the form of a £579,564 grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, delivered by the Football Foundation.
Staffordshire FA helped secure the grant and Khalsa, who have spruced up the changing rooms too, also received £75,000 from Sport England.
The grand opening was on Saturday as they lost 3-1 to Hereford in a pre-season friendly, and Rowe said: "The facilities are superb.
"I can't praise the club high enough in terms of the work they've done.
"There was people still there at 1am (on the morning of the game), still working and fitting changing rooms so it's a testament to them."
Khalsa – formed by friends from Walsall's Punjabi community, initially as a Sunday team, in 1991 – will be hoping to clinch promotion from the Midland Premier this coming campaign.
The work on the pitch was done to avoid as many games being called off due to weather, and to increase the number of sides from the club using the main pitch – they currently have 17 sides and hope to boost that number to 24 soon.
As well as the boost in Khalsa teams, it is hoped more than 30 other sides will spring up thanks to the work.
Khalsa senior board member Inder Grewal said: “The revamp of the Aspray Arena is a really big step for us as a club, really underlining the ambition we have here at Sporting Khalsa.
“From really humble beginnings, we’ve come a long way as a club.
“We want to give a huge thanks to the Football Foundation, Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund and Sport England for realising our ambition and helping us to get this project off the ground."
Eddie Hughes, MP for Walsall North, was on hand to open the new stand.
And the new surface will also be used by Walsall FC, to deliver player development sessions.
A boost in overall football participation of 291 per cent on-site is predicted, with Khalsa specifically hoping to boost the number of women involved with the sport.
Paul Thorogood, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said: “Grassroots sport plays an important role in communities across the UK, creating opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds.
"That is why I am delighted that Sporting Khalsa has now opened their state-of-the-art 3G pitch in Willenhall, thanks to investment from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund.
“Continuing to improve access to high-quality facilities like this one is a key aim for the Premier League, The FA and the Government. Delivered by the Football Foundation, their funding supports projects for clubs and organisations all over the country and is helping to boost the number of people benefitting from sport through better facilities.
“Grassroots football provides so many benefits for members of the community, not least of which is the opportunity to enjoy themselves. Love for our national game, something that can be found across the country, is an integral part of what drives the Foundation and its Funding Partners to keep increasing the standards and quality of our facilities.”
Mykel Beckley got the Khalsa goal in their loss to Hereford.
On the result, Rowe added: "I thought the lads played the pitch well – we applied ourselves in a good manner against a side three levels above us.
"I'm never pleased in defeat but I thought we applied ourselves correctly and were a bit unfortunate to come away with a 3-1 defeat."
