Fylde football ground starts on site

Warden Construction will start on site this week with an £18m stadium for AFC Fylde in Wesham.

Mill Farm Sports Village will include a 6,000-capacity football ground for the non-league club, with supporters' bar, nursery, executive boxes, offices and a function room.

The wider scheme will contain all-weather pitches, a full-sized floodlit football pitch, food store, petrol station, hotel and pub.

Kirkham-based Warden Construction is expected to complete the development in March 2016.

David Haythornthwaite, chairman of AFC Fylde, said: "It's been a long road but we're finally here and extremely pleased that within a year we will have some excellent facilities in place that will bring the local community together and provide them with a place to enjoy time with friends and family, whilst supporting their football team."

Richard Kenworthy, managing director of Warden Construction, added: "We're proud to have won this prestigious contract, which will help put AFC Fylde on the map both locally and in the world of football. We have plenty of experience in sports-related projects for local authorities and universities and are looking forward to getting started."

Currently second in the Vanarama Conference North League, AFC Fylde has won 19 games this season and has ambitious plans to be in in the Football League within 10 years. The new facilities will give the club room to develop, as well as providing a platform to build on its growing programme of activities for young people through the AFC Fylde Community Foundation.

Architect FWP Group and PWA Planning advise AFC Fylde.