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Haverhill Community Sports Association was handed the keys yesterday to New Croft, Haverhill’s brand new £2m football ground and new home to Haverhill Rovers FC.

Cllr Lynsey Alexander, culture and sport cabinet member for St Edmundsbury Borough Council, which headed the project, passed ownership over to Tom Harrison, chairman of Haverhill Community Sports Association, which will operate the facility.

The new amenity, funded by £1.4 million from St Edmundsbury Borough Council and £550,000 from the Football Foundation and Football Stadia Improvement Fund, has facilities for the whole community and will run an important development programme for seniors, juniors, and women’s and girls football in the area. It has been named after Rovers’ former ground, Hamlet Croft.

Cllr Alexander said: “The council made a commitment to provide Haverhill with the leisure opportunities it lacked.

"We have delivered the cinema and major improvements to the Leisure Centre, but this community project has been the longest in the making and I hope, in its legacy.

"We look forward to seeing it used by many new players and wish the facility a healthy and successful future.”

Mr Harrison said: "We are delighted to be taking over this magnificent new facility on behalf of the people of Haverhill. It has come about as the result of many years' hard work by those involved in providing football for the town and the generous funding made available by St Edmundsbury Council and the Football Association.

"We now have a community football facility that is second to none in Suffolk and I hope to see many members of the public, including footballers of all ages and their supporters, at the opening match on Saturday."

The official opening of the new facility will be at 2.30pm on Saturday, before kick off at 3pm, when Haverhill Rovers FC play their first league match of the season against Walsham-le-Willows FC, the last team to play against them at Hamlet Croft.