Flanders Field Sports Centre

Background

Flanders Field is a professionally managed nine-acre sports ground in the heart of East London.

It is used for team games, school sports sessions and events, community sports initiatives, life skills and citizenship training, team building and corporate sports events.

One of BDCA’s key objectives is to provide recreational and sporting activities / facilities for the benefit of the community. To this end we took over responsibility for a derelict 9-acre playing field (Flanders Playing Field) which is in the heart of the Bonny Downs area. Initially through the help of volunteers, and then with the help of Sport England funding we have managed to redevelop the site and bring it back into regular use. Many groups now use the facility, including 3 football teams, an archery club, local schools and summer play and sports schemes. We also organize exercise and fitness classes, after school and holiday sports activities.

The project aims are to:

Transform Flanders field into a first class recreation facility to serve the local community.
Improve access to quality, fun, locally identified sporting opportunities including the development of community sports clubs.
Help develop people's health, social and life skills through sport, including impacting positively on the problems of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
Encourage participation among under-represented and/or vulnerable sections of the community, including young people, women & girls, people on low incomes, Black & ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities and elders.
Work in partnership with the neighbouring Flanders Community Centre in order to support the playing field facility
Develop a body of volunteers in order to enhance local sporting opportunities and help foster a stronger sense of long-term community involvement in the project.

To date over £350,000 worth of funding has been secured for the project in its entirety.

A Sports Pavilion

The single most limiting aspect for maximizing usage on the site is be the lack of a sports pavilion building. The site has been served by two changing rooms housed in converted steel shipping containers.

A new pavilion is proposed which will act as a focal point for the site and will be a welcoming and attractive building for the community. The building will be located alongside the Flanders Community Centre which borders the site in order to take advantage of their social and recreational facilities.

The requirement is for a multi-sport pavilion building to cater primarily for Cricket and Football but to include other sports such as Archery and School based sports such as Athletics and Rounders. A community gym and club room / training space is also planned.

Build costs are estimated to be in the region of £1.2M. We hope to secure funding during 2004 and build in 2005.