Launch of Kettering Sports Park boasts new facilities for future Lionesses

06 August 2025

Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council and Cllr Brian Benneyworth, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Health and Leisure, met with local dignitaries, council officers, works contractors, representatives from Northamptonshire Football Association, and the Football Foundation, to celebrate the formal launch of Kettering Sports Park, on Tuesday 5 August 2025.

Based at Thurston Drive, Kettering, the facility boasts a new state-of-the-art 3G all-weather astroturf pitch, equipped with new fencing, LED floodlights and a spectator area, as well as a newly refurbished sports pavilion. The pavilion, originally built in the 1980s, will support the Kettering Town Harriers Athletics Club, users of the football pitch, and will host a range of new community activities. The refurbished pavilion now benefits from new changing facilities, a bookable community room and a café.

Alongside the newly funded facilities at the Kettering Sports Park, the Kettering Town Harriers Athletics Club also benefits from a 400m floodlit athletics track on the site.

Construction on recent works at the Kettering Sports Park began in March 2025, following the award of over £1 million transformational project funding comprising a Northamptonshire Football Association award of £50,000, a North Northamptonshire Council award of £150,000, and a Premier League, FA and Government’s Football Foundation award of £810,330 through The Lionesses Futures Fund.

Like every Lionesses Futures Fund site, the new pitch at Kettering is prioritising access for women and girls through reserved peak-time slots and inclusive, welcoming changing facilities.  Designed to deliver a best-in-class experience, the facility will also be open to the wider community, ensuring everyone can benefit from this high-quality facility.

I’m delighted with the launch of Kettering Sports Park, a state-of-the-art sports facility based at the popular Thurston Drive site, and an outstanding example of what can be achieved through collaborative partnership working.

It was the resounding success of the Lionesses winning the 2022 UEFA EUROS that inspired the provision of new and replacement football pitches across England, and it’s very timely to launch our new facilities here at Kettering as the Lionesses celebrate a phenomenal successive win in the 2025 UEFA EUROS.

Football is a growing sport for women and girls, and this is a much-needed resource for the Kettering community. I’d like to thank our funding partners, Northamptonshire Football Association, and the Football Foundation, as well as the council’s Leisure Services team, for helping make Kettering Sport Park’s fantastic facilities a resounding success.Councillor Brian Benneyworth, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive Member for Health and Leisure.

It’s heartwarming that North Northamptonshire’s Kettering Sports Park can provide top-class footballing and sporting facilities for women and girls locally, following the success of the England women’s football team in both the 2022 UEFA EUROS and 2025 UEFA EUROS.

My thanks go to all partners involved in progressing this important development. With safe, accessible, and best-in-class facilities for women and girls, we are removing barriers to participation and enhancing local sporting opportunities.

I look forward to seeing local women and girls’ enjoy the new facilities and their football thrive in the new Kettering Sports Park environment. Cllr Martin Griffiths, Leader of North Northamptonshire Council.

Northamptonshire Football Association and I are excited to welcome all members of the community to the Kettering Sports Park following this official launch. We are particularly excited to welcome women and girls inspired by the recent successes of the Lionesses in respective 2022 and 2025 UEFA EUROS and in bringing our Create the Feeling grassroots football strategy to life.Kirsty Clarke, Chief Executive Officer of Northamptonshire Football Association.

The Lionesses Futures Fund builds on the Football Foundation’s biggest ever commitment to providing equal access to grassroots facilities for women and girls.

Over 12,500 women’s and girls’ football teams were playing at sites that have benefitted from Foundation funding last season, whether that be for new goalposts, improved grass pitches or brand-new changing pavilions and 3G pitches.

Thanks to funding from the Premier League, The FA and Government, the Football Foundation is committed to investing even more to help ensure every woman and girl inspired by the Lionesses has a great place to play.Robert Sullivan, CEO of the Football Foundation.