Michaels Field community football facility opens
The first football matches to celebrate the opening of a new community facility in south Devon will be played later.
The facility at Michaels Field in Bishopsteignton is for the use of teams in Teignmouth and Shaldon.
It includes a pavilion with changing rooms, two senior and three junior grass pitches.
The £420,000 facility was paid for with a £220,000 grant from the Football Foundation and £200,000 from Teignbridge District Council.
The Football Foundation is the UK's largest sports charity and is funded by the Premier League, the Football Association and Sport England.
Local clubs, players and officials will take part in the official opening on Saturday with a series of matches to christen the pitches.
The bid for a Football Foundation grant was supported by Devon County Football Association.
Development manager Lee Rider said it would provide a lasting legacy for sport in the Teignbridge area.
"The future of youth football in the Teign Estuary area was on a knife-edge for quite some time, and it's fantastically fitting that in this Olympic year we're creating a lasting legacy for sport in Teignbridge.
"Michaels Field is everything we hoped it would be, and I can't wait to see our local youngsters out there enjoying it."
The facility will be available to the whole community and future plans include a cricket pitch and some garden allotments.