A MASSIVE £1.7million project to build new playing fields in Bridgwater has received the final tranche of funding.

Wembdon Playing Fields will soon be home to state-of-the-art football and cricket pitches alongside a new village hall, thanks to a £320,000 investment from the Premier League and the FA Facilities Fund.

Wembdon Village Hall and Playing Field Trust, alongside Somerset FA, have been trying to raise the £1.7 million for the playing fields since 2008 and this final contribution of £320,000 was the last instalment needed.

Daniel Bingham, from the Wembdon Playing Field Trust, said: “We have been raising the money for this for ages.

“This investment from the FA is the last piece of the jigsaw.”

Wembdon Football Club is set to benefit massively from this new investment, as the club has been looking for facilities in Wembdon for many years.

Nick Searle, development manager at Wembdon FC, said: “It has been a long and thorough process working through all the necessary documentation to obtain this grant.

“The Somerset FA and the Football Association encouraged the Wembdon Village Hall and Playing Fields Trust to remain positive during the whole process and their help has resulted in this fantastic grant.

“The Foundation has kept us informed at every step of the process and their commitment to our vision has led to this very positive outcome.”

The pitches will include one full size pitch, over marked with two mini-soccer pitches, three junior pitches, one mini-soccer pitch and one grass training area.

The playing fields will also incorporate two cricket pitches, with one senior and one junior cricket square plus three cricket nets.

This will provide a home for Wembdon Cricket Club, who currently runs six adult league teams and five youth teams across two separate grounds in Bridgwater.

The new Wembdon Village Hall will have a main hall, clubroom, kitchen, a bar and storage.

It will also incorporate changing facilities rooms, two officials’ rooms, new toilets, and new car parking.

Paul Thorogood, chief executive at the Football Foundation, said: “I am delighted that a Football Foundation grant of £320,000 will enable such an exciting facility to be built.

“In partnership with the Somerset FA, the Wembdon Village Hall and Playing Fields Trust and Wembdon FC have worked extremely hard to secure this funding from the Football Foundation.”