Always on
This project successfully funded on 27th March 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
New Sports Pitch for The Groves, York
York, United Kingdom
Aim
We are fundraising to install a new all weather sports pitch at Door 84 Youth & Community Centre, for the benefit of our local community.
At Door 84 we are all about community and our outside space is one of our biggest assets, but it isn't currently used as much as it could be. Adding a sports pitch will enhance the space for our sessions, enable us to deliver higher quality sports sessions and enable us to hire it out to benefit other groups and the local community. Watch the video for a flavour of how Door 84 already supports the community and imagine what more we could do with an improved outdoor space!
Working to a deadline
We recently won a grant of £30,000 from the Mayoral Movement, Activity & Sport fund to get this project off the ground. We have also had generous support from the York Children's Trust and Minster Lions Club of York in getting the project underway.
A condition of the funding is that the work is completed by January 2027, but we'd love to have the pitch ready for the summer. We have the quote, a contractor lined up and are ready to give the green light - we just need YOUR HELP to raise the rest of the funds needed to complete the project.
Why here and why now?
Being in the heart of the city, Door 84's location gives us an opportunity to provide a sports pitch that is within walking distance for many of the cities lower-income households.
The need for this facility is driven by a multitude of factors. These include the rise in challenges affecting childhood health, coupled with the increase in proportion of children growing up in poverty, with both these trends being highlighted as areas of concern for parts of central York.
With an all weather pitch we can deliver affordable, inclusive sessions that encourage young people to try out sports in a friendly, non-competitive environment, and also incorporate periods of ‘free play’ throughout the week. This will provide more positive activities for young people, increase their participation in movement, activity and sport and attract more people to Door 84 where they can get further support. We want our young people to be engaged in activity, making friends and not bored on the streets or in their bedrooms. “You get to know each other so well – it’s like growing up in a kind of family,” says one of our young people. “You feel supported, and most importantly, you can be yourself.”
The wider impact
This community asset will also provide for people from all walks of life giving them access to a space to engage in physical activity and socialise through movement. As with all the facilities at our community centre, the pitch will be made accessible to the wider public through events, community activities and for use by external organisations. It could even be hired for football based parties. By encouraging group physical activities this helps with reducing social isolation, reducing long term health issues caused by inactivity, and bringing people together to feel a part of something and so benefit their mental health.
If we were fortunate enough to exceed our fundraising target (yes, we are eternal optimists) then the extra funds would be used to support Door 84's core activities that support the local community in other ways (see charity page for more information).
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made