IPSWICH Town boss Joe Royle will see how the grassroots of local football are flourishing next week when he visits Kirton to open a new £210,000 pavilion.

IPSWICH Town boss Joe Royle will see how the grassroots of local football are flourishing next week when he visits Kirton to open a new £210,000 pavilion.

Mr Royle will be the guest of Kirton Kestrels, who have 120 young players aged from seven to 16 years, on Monday April 5.

The club is enormously proud of its new headquarters on the village recreation ground - providing it with modern comfortable facilities which will be of benefit to the whole community.

The brick-built pavilion replaces a 40-year-old dilapidated wooden building with a leaking roof, which was described as "totally inadequate" and too cramped to cater for so many players needing to wash and change at the same time.

The new building in Back Road will be used also used by two senior football clubs, various village groups and as a base for other sporting activities.

The pavilion features four changing rooms, two referees changing areas and a social area. All facilities will be fully accessible for disabled players and fans.

With the facilities the club will establish an annual mini soccer five a side competition, create new opportunities for football-mad girls in the community as well as boosting participation rates for footballers of all ages and abilities.

The club - which was founded in 1986 - and community has raised more than £45,000 for the pavilion, which also received £146,000 from the Football Foundation and grants from other a number of other bodies.

Around £15,000 still needs to be found and fundraising activities are still taking place, while major businesses in the area have also been asked to help.

WEBLINKS: www.kirtonkestrels.co.uk

WEBLINK: www.footballfoundation.org.uk