WORK has begun on the Cornwall Council-led project to provide a new 3G community sports pitch at Truro Sports Hub.

The new all-weather facility will play a vital role in delivering Langarth’s vision of a vibrant, healthy and connected Garden Village.

The pitch follows the first phase of the Sports Hub project, which was completed in 2024 and delivered a floodlit 3,000-capacity Football Association-compliant football pitch to be used by Truro City Football Club.

The community facility is part-funded by the Premier League, The FA and the government’s Football Foundation who provided a £746,000 grant towards the cost of the facility. The remaining funding has come from compulsory planning contributions from developers and from the Garden Village project.

Cornwall Football Association is looking forward to seeing the pitch welcoming its first teams. Facilities and finance manager Daniel Greenough said: “We’ve been working hard in the background with various stakeholders to support the development of football and sport participation, and these kinds of facilities allow that to happen.”

The design of the 3G pitch complies with current Football Foundation and Football Association guidance to ensure that materials used are appropriate for use in this environment. The construction is being carried out by Tiger Turf (UK) Ltd/McArdle Sport Tec, and is due for completion in spring 2027.

At that point Truro Sports Hub will become the largest permanent sports events facility in Cornwall, accessible to communities not only Langarth but also in Threemilestone, Truro, Kenwyn and surrounding parishes and the local clubs operating within them. These were approached as part of the council’s funding application to the Football Foundation, with Threemilestone FC, Truro City Youth FC and Grasshoppers FC identified as anchor football clubs for the project.

Threemilestone FC has been without a permanent ground of our own since 2013. Chairman Lee Goodall said: “We’ve been forced to consistently seek and hire other pitches, often at unaffordably high rates. This has affected our ability to not only build our current team, but to develop opportunities for other age groups and introduce a girls’ football team.

“Being able to use the new pitch will be a huge step forward for us, and we are very grateful to Cornwall Council and the Langarth Garden Village project team for identifying us as an anchor club. Having safe, consistent, year‑round access to an all-weather pitch will give future footballing wannabes in our community a great place to learn, grow and develop.”

The council will shortly be appointing an operator for the facility which will be managed in line with similar 3G facilities across the country. Future phases of the Sports Hub project will include the provision of new changing rooms and a club house.

Football Foundation chief executive Robert Sullivan said: “We’re delighted works are now underway to deliver a new 3G pitch at Truro Sports Hub and we’re excited to see the new facilities in action. Good-quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities.”