Crawley Borough Council and Crawley & Maidenbower Panthers FC today announced that they have entered into a lease agreement for the football pitches and playing facilities at Maidenbower Park. The deal is initially being piloted for the 2019/20 football season with a view to making an extended agreement for future years.

By taking on this responsibility the football club will now have direct control of the playing schedule on all the pitches and access to equipment storage facilities at the Park. In addition, as a part of this agreement, several new pitches have been marked out meaning that teams of all age groups from Under 6 upwards can now play their matches on site. All of this means that the large majority of Panthers home games can now be played "at home" in Maidenbower rather than having to secure pitches at other locations all around Crawley as has been the case in previous years.

Securing Maidenbower Park as a home base is a vital step in the development of the football club. Having now grown the club to around 270 players across more than 20 teams, it is a major logistical challenge to find suitable facilities for all those teams to play every weekend. Having sufficient capacity for all home games to take place at the Park will significantly reduce the administrative workload on the club's volunteer committee as well as allowing all our teams to build up a true "home advantage".

We will also be able to promote the presence of the football club at Maidenbower Park much more prominently, making it easier to attract new players, supporters and financial sponsorship of the club in the future. As a part of the agreement with the Council, the football club has agreed to take on a number of day-to-day pitch maintenance tasks (e.g. marking out the lines) and to help look after the general up-keep of the Park. Not only does this improve the playing facilities for the club and save resources for the Council, it also leads to a much nicer environment for everybody in the Maidenbower Community.

Reaching this agreement is the result of very constructive long-term partnership discussions between the football club and Crawley Borough Council that have been ongoing for more than a year. Throughout this time we have been very keen to ensure our increased presence at the Park is beneficial for the whole community and especially for other Maidenbower-based community organisations such as Maidenbower Park Community Club and Maidenbower Colts FC. We have been in dialogue with these organisations throughout the process to secure their backing and we acknowledge their very positive support of this initiative.

The mission of Crawley & Maidenbower Panthers is to provide opportunities for all children in our local community to play and learn football, irrespective of ability or experience. The agreement we have struck with the Council goes a long way to helping us accelerate our progress on this mission and to secure the long-term sustainability of the football club.

As Panthers Club Chairman Adam Swart commented, "This is a very proud moment for the football club and for the Maidenbower community as a whole. To be able to declare Maidenbower Park as our official home has been a dream of ours for many years. Establishing a more permanent home base here will allow us to grow our provision of grassroots football even further, benefiting all children in the Maidenbower and Pound Hill area.

"The football club would like to go on record in expressing its sincere appreciation to Crawley Borough Council who have been extremely supportive throughout this process and have made every effort to support us in achieving our aims. It really has felt like a true partnership from day one and we only expect that to increase in the future."

Crawley Borough Councillor Chris Mullins said "This is great news for a local club which offers such a fun and supportive sporting experience to children of all ages and adults too. This new home is rewarding for the football club but also for the whole town because it is an opportunity for the community to come together. I hope this new home brings Crawley & Maidenbower Panthers the success they deserve."

Crawley & Maidenbower Panthers FC is an entirely volunteer-driven organisation. It's leadership committee, who have developed this agreement with the Council, and all of its coaching team, work tirelessly throughout the year to ensure that all players, parents and supporters can enjoy a positive and welcoming football environment. We're very proud of the inclusive culture that has been created around the club and we look forward to many years of continued success in developing children into great footballers and, more importantly, great people.