NEW facilities have enabled Hundon FC to return home following a four-year exile.

The club received a grant of £182,723 from the Premier League, The FA and the Football Foundation to build a new pavilion which was officially opened on Saturday.

The overall cost was met by an additional £86,000 from partner organisations including Hundon Parish Council, West Suffolk Council and Haverbury Housing Partnership as well as many private donations.

Hundon FC have had to play their ‘home’ matches at Clare Town FC after their previous changing facilities were deemed as being unsafe.

One of the new changing rooms at Hundon FC. Main photograph: Suffolk FA Football Development Manager Matt Stebbings (third right) and Hundon FC Vice Chair Anne Cutts (second right) are joined by club officials at last Saturday's opening

Anne Cutts, who is Vice Chair of Hundon FC, admitted it had been tough to keep the club going during the intervening period and they had come close to folding.

She said: “The club had to pay for facilities elsewhere which cost us £50 per home game, obviously this ate into the monies for the new facilities. It also meant there were less supporters coming to games as every game was an ‘away’ game.

“The facilities will mean the club can restart junior football, veterans’ football and walking football. The facilities will be a community asset and can be used by other sporting groups.

 “The club wants to enable football for all ages and abilities, so we will now be in the position to make this happen.”

One of the new goals at Hundon FC supplied by MH Goals Ltd

Suffolk FA Football Development Manager Matt Stebbings said: “It is great to see the Hundon Pavilion project over the line. The whole project team have worked tirelessly for a number of years in order to get this fantastic facility built.

“The club and project team should be proud of the long hours, funding applications and project meetings they have been through to ensure this facility is open.

“A big thank you goes to the Football Foundation for their support in making sure that the project received significant investment. The facility will now future proof the club with youth and adult football provision across all three of the footballing pathways (male, female and disability) with room to grow the club for years to come. Well done to all involved.”

Further support was provided by the Football Foundation for the grass pitches and the goals were supplied by Beccles-based MH Goals Ltd.