A cash injection of more than £799,000 from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation will help pay for a full-size LED floodlit 3G pitch and changing pavilion at the Academy.

Gedling Borough Council has also contributed £300,000 to the project, which will increase capacity not only for use by Carlton le Willows students, but also for wider community use by a number of local football clubs, ranging from junior to veteran teams.

Planning for the all-purpose facility began after negotiations surrounding the loss of Academy land to make way for the new Gedling Access Road, with senior leaders and governors at Carlton le Willows keen to invest any compensation from that land loss back into the school.

Work on the 3G pitch will begin in September, with a view to the pitch being ready for use by Christmas.