Middlesbrough nets £100,000 for new centre

A new community football centre is set to be developed in Middlesbrough after securing £100,000 in funding from the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund.

The investment will support the creation of a new state-of-the-art facility at the Southlands Centre in Park End, where former Middlesbrough FC footballer and sports pundit Chris ‘Kammy’ Kamara was raised and first learnt to kick a ball back in the 1970s.

Former Sky Sports and now talkSPORT presenter Jeff Stelling, who worked with Kammy for over two decades on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, helped judge the applications but was unaware of the Kammy connection when selecting the winning bid. 

Jeff said: “It’s a real honour to be part of the panel that chooses which projects receive funding from the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund.

“Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation had such an impressive bid. 

“This new centre with 3G and grass football pitches will go into the heart of one of the most deprived parts of England.

“The money from Sky Bet and the EFL means the council can go ahead with the investment and bring football back to the community. 

“God help us, but maybe it will find another Kammy!”

The project, led by Middlesbrough Borough Council in partnership with Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation, aims to boost grassroots football, tackle social isolation and strengthen community engagement.

Kammy – famed for his catchphrase “unbelievable, Jeff” from his time on Soccer Saturday – said Park End holds fond memories for him and the scheme would prove “transformational” for youngsters.

He said: “I spent my childhood kicking a football around the streets of Park End. 

“Having access to this kind of facility will be transformational for aspiring footballers living in Middlesbrough…and hopefully the EFL one day.”

The grant is part of the £1 million annual Building Foundations Fund, which was launched in 2023 as part of the new title rights extension agreed between the EFL and Sky Bet and backs projects that enhance football’s role in communities across England and Wales. 

Middlesbrough is one of nine recipients sharing £520,000, with Norwich City and Wigan Athletic among other beneficiaries.

Kieran Forde, head of brand and sponsorship at Sky Bet, added: “We’re thrilled to continue our support for these impactful projects through the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund.

“It’s been inspiring to see the wide range of initiatives that are transforming lives in communities across the country, whether through employability programmes, regenerating facilities or environmental sustainability efforts.

“We look forward to seeing the positive outcomes these projects will create in the coming months and years.”

As well as Jeff, the expert panel included Uma Cresswell, senior independent director of EFL in the community, and Debbie Cook, the EFL’s director of community.

Read more about Kammy and his hugely courageous and inspiring response to being diagnosed with apraxia of speech in 2022 in a recent interview with our sister publication, N, here.

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