Roehampton Playing Fields has secured a £568,000 grant from the Football Foundation, the award that trustees said in February would make or break the campaign to rebuild the 1940s sports pavilion on Longwood Drive.
The grant, jointly funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, takes the trust’s confirmed and applied-for funding to around £1 million of the £1.1 million needed. The remaining gap is £150,000.
In our February report, trustee Scott Muirhead warned that a rejection would kill the project. The Foundation approved it.
What the new pavilion will deliver
The pavilion serves football, cricket, tennis, netball, rounders and lacrosse, but the grant also unlocks something the existing building cannot offer: a proper home for disability sport. Wheelchair tennis and para-standing tennis will be available at the site, in partnership with Queen Mary’s Hospital’s Douglas Bader unit, Access Sports, Enable, Teqnic Tennis and the LTA. An access path from the hospital to the courts was completed last year.
In February, Roehampton resident Valente, who plays para-standing tennis, described the difference to us: “The impact on your mental health, I can’t overstate it.” Parents of a young wheelchair tennis player told us they had been carrying equipment the full length of Longwood Drive because the existing pavilion could not support disability sessions. New cladding, windows, heating and an internal reconfiguration will change that.
Where the money comes from
Scott Muirhead, a trustee of Roehampton Playing Fields Community Trust, said: “This fantastic grant award will be transformative for the playing fields, making a real difference to local children and families who have been desperate for modern, fit-for-purpose facilities. This once-in-a-generation opportunity to redevelop the pavilion and make it truly accessible to all now needs one final fundraising effort.”
Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation, said the grant would “help give more people access to a great place to play.”
| Source | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Football Foundation (Premier League, The FA, DCMS) | £568,218 | Confirmed |
| Section 106 (Wandsworth Council) | £130,000 | Confirmed |
| Resident donations and philanthropic pledges | £150,000 | Confirmed |
| London Marathon Foundation | £150,000 | Applied for |
| Total | ~£1 million |
The trust was formed in January 2018 after the community opposed the commercial disposal of the site. The pavilion dates from the 1940s and sits within the Westmead conservation area. It has suffered three or four break-ins in recent years.
How to help close the gap
With a London Marathon Foundation application pending and further funding “to be announced,” the trust is asking the community to help close the remaining £150,000. A new crowdfunder is open with a target of £50,000 and 71 days to run. The trust is targeting a start on site between June and August 2026, with completion by Christmas.
Donations can also be made by emailing info@roehamptonplayingfields.org.
