Junior footballers in North Yorkshire are celebrating the grand opening of a major new clubhouse which was built with a £370,000 grant.

Grants from the Football Foundation (FF) and the Coalfield Regeneration Trust (CRT) allowed Sherburn White Rose Junior FC to build their new clubhouse, which includes four team changing areas, two officials' rooms, a kitchen and club, committee and treatment rooms.

The pavilion, which has disabled access, will cater for the club's 250 members.

Spokesman Gary Limbert said: "Sherburn White Rose would like to thank everyone who has been involved in the project over the last five years, including the Football Foundation, The Coalfields Regeneration Trust and our other funding partners.

"Our terrific new facilities will help our club provide grass-roots football for the local community for many years to come. They also demonstrate to other sports clubs that significant projects can be achieved, albeit with a lot of hard work and dedication.

"It's a credit to everyone that's been involved. It should be an inspiration to other voluntary groups and organisations."

Additional teams will now also be formed including two new junior teams and an under 17 team.

The club also hopes to create women's and girls' teams.

Disabled footballers will also be offered opportunities at the site. Three of the club's coaching staff recently completed the disabled coaching course with four more set to pass shortly.

Sherburn White Rose FC was formed in 1946 with the juniors being introduced in 1995. The club now boasts 12 junior teams from the age of six to 17 as well as a senior and reserve team and a veterans' line-up.

The FF provided £329,935 with extra funding of £39,600 coming from the Coalfield Regeneration Trust.

Peter Lee, FF chief executive, welcomed this latest boost for North Yorkshire football which has seen investment of more than £7m spent on 33 projects in the region.

He said: "Unprecedented amounts are now being invested from the top of the game and our sincere congratulations go to everyone involved in Sherburn White Rose for their hard work and dedication in securing this new pavilion for their community."

Funded by the Premier League, the Football Association and the Government, the FF is the nation's largest sports charity with more than £200m already invested into community football.

The CRT is an independent charity dedicated to the regeneration of coalfield communities. Since 1999 it has awarded grants of more than £75million to 1,300 projects.

Updated: 09:58 Friday, July 02, 2004