Baffins Milton set to take part in first ever Wessex League game held at Hampshire FA’s new £9m Stoneham Lane complex

Baffins Milton Rovers have the honour of taking part in the first ever Wessex League game to be held at the new £9m Stoneham Lane football complex on the outskirts of Southampton.
AFC Stoneham's new 3G pitch at the Stoneham Lane complex. Pic: Hampshire FA.AFC Stoneham's new 3G pitch at the Stoneham Lane complex. Pic: Hampshire FA.
AFC Stoneham's new 3G pitch at the Stoneham Lane complex. Pic: Hampshire FA.

The Portsmouth club are this Saturday’s opponents for AFC Stoneham, who have just moved into their new home - Tuesday’s Hampshire Senior Cup tie against Sholing the first competitive game to be staged on their brand new 3G surface.

It is a rare outing for Steve Leigh’s men who have been harder hit than most with regards the wet weather that has battered the south region for the last three months.

'We have played two games in eight weeks,’ said Leigh.

The new Stoneham Lane complex. Picture: Hampshire FAThe new Stoneham Lane complex. Picture: Hampshire FA
The new Stoneham Lane complex. Picture: Hampshire FA
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'For us it is like starting the season all over again because lack of games means you lose your match fitness and momentum.

'Stoneham are a team on the up and this will be a difficult game.

'We train on a 4G surface and it suits us, so we will go there and give it a go.'

Stoneham Lane is the newest facility funded by the national Football Association’s Parklife Programme to open.

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Introduced in 2016 and partly funded by both the Premier League and Sport England, Parklife was set up to help address the issues of poor pitch quality in grassroots football.

In addition, the company behind the new housing development at Stoneham Park - near Eastleigh FC’s Silverlake Stadium - has contributed funds following the loss of parks facilities at Stoneham and Jubilee Playing Fields.

The Parklife scheme aims to increase the number of 3G artificial pitches available in the UK.

The Stoneham Lane complex has been built on the site of the former Monks Brook Playing Fields and includes three 3G pitches - all floodlit.

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The main one is AFC Stoneham’s new home ground while the other two are ‘super-sized pitches’ capable of holding many Eastleigh & District Mini League games.

There is also a clubroom, a coaches room, a cafe, eight team changing rooms and four match officials’ changing rooms.

‘Every area is finished to an exceptional standard, and takes the grassroots game to a different level,’ said complex manager Pete Hussey.

‘In addition to this, our grass pitches will be opening in August or September this year, so we will be able to cater for natural turf matches also.

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‘The facility is a central venue for the Eastleigh and District Mini Soccer League (Under 7 to Under 10s) and so far over 200 matches have been saved from the wet winter and played at the facility due to the access to the 3G pitches.

‘This can only be positive for all, especially grassroots football.

‘The facility is also the new home of AFC Stoneham, who with their Wessex Premier first team have a very strong grassroots base underneath, which boosts over 25 teams, and having access to a facility like this will hopefully only make them stronger and more sustainable going forward.

'Sport, in particular football, is great; it has the power to bring communities together, inspire and to be involved.

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‘Providing facilities like Stoneham Lane to the grassroots game is something the staff and myself are proud to do.’

Stoneham Lane is one of three new facilities opened in Hampshire in recent years which are being run by the Hampshire FA.

The county FA has been based at Winklebury, near Basingstoke, for over a decade and the £1.5m Front Lawn complex, at Leigh Park, opened with a new 3G pitch and other sports facilities in early 2018.