FOOTBALLERS in Kesgrave should be kicking off next season in style.Work has finally started on building a new pavilion as the final touch to the Millennium Sports Ground in the Long Strops area of the town.

FOOTBALLERS in Kesgrave should be kicking off next season in style.

Work has finally started on building a new pavilion as the final touch to the Millennium Sports Ground in the Long Strops area of the town.

Although it will not be ready for use until later in the year the pavilion is a welcome addition for the town.

Earlier in the year the Evening Star revealed how huge developments in Kesgrave had deprived residents of their sports space.

Youth football teams were struggling to find enough pitches to play on and were having to travel several miles for a game.

Under national guidelines, towns and villages are supposed to have a certain amount of land for sports ground per head of population.

But with an ever increasing population, Kesgrave did not come up to scratch.

However the new sports ground should help to ease the problem.

The main users of the ground and pavilion will be the Kesgrave Kestrels football team.

Until now they have been playing on the pitches in the grounds of the War Memorial Community Centre in Twelve Acre Approach, which are already heavily over used.

Henry Ferguson, town council consultant, said: "This was one of the reasons that we started the Millennium Sports Ground, to relieve the community centre.

"We are desperately short of open space for sports and this will help them out.

"The pavilion will also be a headquarters for youth football teams."

The pavilion will provide changing rooms, an office, kitchens and a large club room that can be used for parties.

It is hoped that, weather permitting, the new pavilion will be finished by the middle of June.