THE long awaited new football complex at Green Lane playing fields, Devizes, has finally kicked off to the delight of young players.

Years of waiting for Devizes to have a state of the art centre to rival those in Calne and Chippenham were finally over earlier this year when work on Green Lane finished but the coronavirus emergency meant play could still not take place.

But last week Government rules were relaxed and young players from Bishops Cannings and Devizes Town Youth could finally take full advantage of the new 3G pitches at the new home of the Wiltshire FA.

On Tuesday evening parents were delighted to be able to watch Bishops Cannings teams go through their paces in safety. The village club will use the pitches on Monday and Tuesday evenings and Devizes Youth on Wednesday and Thursdays.

Wiltshire FA centre manager Doug Imrie said: “We are so pleased to be open. It is great to see the youngsters using the pitches. We are now also taking bookings from members of the public who want to hire the 3G. It is a great facility, right at the heart of Wiltshire.”

The new club house includes a large open meeting area with a kitchen and tuck shop.

Mr Imrie said: “The tuck shop has also proved very popular with the youngsters who use the skate park. They are very pleased they can get a snack on the site.”

Bishops Cannings Youth secretary Gary Wootton said: “It is amazing to see the youngsters using the pitches. They were all very excited to be able to get out there at last.” The project was backed by Devizes Town Council.