Fast Track Funding for Artificial Sports Pitches

With commitment, diligence and dedication Spadeoak continually deliver world-class facilities to enable a variety of sports to be played and enjoyed throughout the UK.

What is Fast Track Funding

Fast Track Funding is designed to offer customers an alternative route of funding for sports pitches to that of grant funding.

Fast Track Funding is a fully flexible funding solution that enables you to generate income so the completed site can pay for itself, it has expanded to help customers achieve a new and complete synthetic pitch solution since its implementation in 2013

Funding is achievable because the majority of sports facilities are able to generate revenue through community use. It also allows the academy or school to budget over the 5 to 7 year period of lease

We work closely with you to design a bespoke sports facility that is specific to your vision and strategy, both new build and refurbishment projects can be funded straight away and meets both Audit Requirements and ESFA regulations

*PLEASE NOTE: Sports clubs will require a minimum of 3 years audited accounts for Fast Track Funding.

Example Financial Plan

Average cost of a single 3G football pitch £620,000

Example finance plan (5 years):

Deposit £0

Annual payments of £128,340

Final payment of £117,304

Example income generated:

In London

Avg peak time pitch hire £213 p/hour

Income generated from 3 hours p/day hire £232,596

Annual profit £104,256

The History of Fast Track Funding

2010 The concept was developed offering a non-traditional funding route

2013 The Secretary of State provides consent for Fast Track Funding as an operating lease

Whitefield School becomes the first ever Fast Track Funding project

2015 By October 2015 £8.5m projects have been funded with more in the pipeline

2016 The first independent school uses Fast Track Funding service

2018 £10 million of funding had been achieved in 5 years

2019 Biggest Funded project is completed at The Hertfordshire & Essex High School (£775k)

2020 Whitefield School becomes first project to reach the end of the initial 7yr lease period

2023 49 projects completed and over £17.2 million funded

Case Study – The Hertfordshire & Essex School

£1,100,000 Sports pitch measuring 6,981m2

In 2019 The Hertfordshire & Essex High School were successful in using the Fast Track Funding initiative to fund their hockey pitch on a field adjacent to their newly built Sports Centre.
Understanding the opportunity available to them, the school knew they were able to hire the facilities out to the community when not in use by the school, this provided an opportunity 7 days a week, 84 hours a week.

Spadeoak has also been selected by Sport England to support their framework for the Design and Construction of Artificial Outdoor Sports Surfaces. The requirements include visiting and surveying sites for condition and suitability, preparing feasibility reports including outline design proposals and consultation with required bodies.

The school had a field off site that they wanted to develop into a new, state of the art sports centre, including a hockey pitch, tennis and netball courts.

The school had funded the sports centre using grants and their own finances, but the pitch and courts were paid for using Fast Track Funding.

The project, which included an access road, acoustic fencing and floodlighting to both the pitch and courts, became the largest funded project to date using this proven scheme.

The sand-dressed astroturf pitch with floodlighting, is available for use all year round during the day, in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays. Providing the school with 84 hours of playtime or hire opportunity the school offer the facility to hire from £15 – £78 per hour generating a healthy yearly income.

With improved technology, artificial grass is becoming more and more realistic with almost identical playing characteristics to natural grass sports surfaces. Every aspect of the grass has been improving, from the way it looks and how the grass stands to the bounce of the ball and general playability. 2G second generation pitches are sand based and are perfect for hockey and multi-use games areas.

Hayley Jones, the Assistant Headteacher and Director of Sport at the school said
“Our pitch is used by the school for both PE and competitive sport, however we are partnered with Bishop’s Stortford Hockey Club who use the pitch for both training and competitive match play. We felt reassured by the contractor by their fantastic customer service throughout the whole project, from the tendering process through to completion, their staff were nothing but helpful and knowledgeable.

“It is great to have such a fantastic facility here at the school, which can double up for community use and act as an amazing home to the club. It has improved our school and club links tremendously and has meant that we have greater opportunities to allow our students to play hockey to a higher standard.”

Spadeoak are SAPCA members and an Sport England Approved Contractor
SAPCA is the trade association in the UK for Sports and Play Construction, the association and its members set the standard for sports construction excellence.

Spadeoak has also been selected by Sport England to support their framework for the Design and Construction of Artificial Outdoor Sports Surfaces. The requirements include visiting and surveying sites for condition and suitability, preparing feasibility reports including outline design proposals and consultation with required bodies.