MEMBERS of an Abbots Langley football club are over the moon after the club secured thousands of pounds of Olympic legacy funding - courtesy of Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund.

Part of the £135 million Places People Play legacy programme, the Inspired Facilities fund is aimed at encouraging Olympic and Paralympic games involvement in communities across the county.

Sport England invests National Lottery and Exchequer funding in organisations and projects that will grow and sustain participation in sport, creating opportunities for people to excel at their chosen activity.

Evergreen Football Club, based in South Way, Abbots Langley, is set to receive £37,500 of the funding.

Ron Smith, chairman of Evergreen FC, said: "Evergreen Football Club is at the heart of football in Abbots Langley, we coach boys and girls from six to 18 to enjoy football and reach their full potential.

“Receiving this grant adds significant value to our club, offering the best training facilities available in the area for young people of today and a strong legacy for the future".

The club is aiming to use the cash towards paying for the replacement of current sand based carpet with a new 3G surface, as well as new fencing and boarding.

The pitch will be used seven days a week by the club and local community, providing all year round access.

The club will be able to focus on the technical development of players and further expand the number of sessions it provides to young people, thanks to the quality of the new surface.

Watford MP, Richard Harrington, said: “This investment by Sport England into Evergreen FC is fantastic news.

“Evergreen FC is a strong community based football club that offer great opportunities for young people in the area to play football.

“This funding is an investment in young people for today and for the future; I am sure we will see the club grow even stronger with improved training facilities.”

Every sports facility that receives the funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark - celebrating the link to the games.

Richard Lewis, chairman of Sport England, said: “This investment will create a fantastic sporting legacy for Abbots Langley.

“This fund has really hit the mark with sports clubs in the East of England.

“It shows we’re offering the legacy that people want for their local community.

“For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their local sports facilities got better.”