Manchester United Star Rio
Ferdinand officially opens a new
hi-tech outdoor sports facility in

Old Trafford.

Despite the wind and rain, the faces of children
attending the opening of a new sports facility in
Old Trafford were lit up by the arrival of
Manchester United and England star Rio Ferdinand.
Located in Seymour Park, The new hi-tech ‘3G Nike
Grind’ all weather pitch, adjacent to the newly
opened Old Trafford Sports Barn, boasts the latest
technology for artificial playing surfaces, which
looks, feels and plays like grass.

The new 3G Nike Grind pitch was opened with the
help of children from across Old Trafford and a
football coaching session led by Trafford Sports
Development and Coaches from TUF*C. Rio was very
keen to get involved and showed off his skills to
the delight of the children.

Impressed with the facility Rio said, “This is a
fantastic surface, and a huge benefit for the kids
and the community. It certainly beats kicking a can
around a street”.

Manchester United Football Club, Trafford
Metropolitan Borough Council and the Football
Foundation have funded the facility, with the
operation being managed by Trafford Community
Leisure Trust. The adjacent sports barn, funded by
the Barclays Spaces for Sport initiative, and the
addition of this new facility provides a more
comprehensive recreation package for the Old
Trafford community.

Bernie Jones, Chief Executive for the Leisure Trust
talks about the benefits of the facility by saying,
“it’s a great facility, not just because it’s the
latest breed in artificial surfaces, but because
the Old Trafford community now have a local means
to participate in sport and recreation using
facilities of the highest standard. The key is now,
with local partners, to encourage more people to
get more active more often”.

Commenting on the activities on offer Mr Jones
adds, “The new Pitch, in addition to the Adjacent
Sports Barn allows us to provide a vast array of
activates ranging from football and badminton to
volleyball and aerobic classes. The important
factor to point out here is that these activates
are being provided in the right environments with
the right equipment, something this community have
been lacking”.

In addition to the Sport Barn and Nike grind 3G
pitch is an freely open outdoor double recreation
area, which can be used for basketball, football,
cricket and so on. For more information about
activities at the Sports Barn and Nike Grind 3G
pitch please contact;

Trafford Community Leisure
Trust on 0161 873 7335 or log onto
www.traffordleisure.co.uk