Work is about to start to build a new flagship sports ground at a cost of more than £750,000.

Funding for the ambitious project off Albert Road has been secured through a partnership involving Queensbury Sports and Social Club, Bradford Council and Sport England.

The ground will provide changing rooms, a clubroom and pitches for amateur rugby league. It will be open to sports club members and the local community.

Sports Minister and Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe, who has been a long-term backer of the project, said: “I am delighted that work is going to begin on the new clubhouse and the new facilities at Queensbury.

“I’ve lost count of the number of meetings I’ve had over the years trying to do my bit to help this become a reality. Sometimes it felt like we were never going to get there.

“It has been a tremendous achievement by those involved to bring together the different partners to make this project a reality.

“They deserve an awful lot of credit for the hard work and persistence.

“These sporting facilities will be a great asset to the whole community in Queensbury.”

Bradford Council leader Kris Hopkins said the facilities would enable more people in the area to be involved in sport.

He said: “I am delighted that, with our help and a lot of hard work these excellent new facilities will be delivered. They will go a long way to increasing sports activity in Queensbury and be a significant addition to the sporting infrastructure of the district.”

David Gent, regional director of Sport England Yorkshire, said: “The new clubhouse and changing facilities will make a fantastic difference to sport in Queensbury.

“The club’s members will have a really excellent place to play rugby league. I’m looking forward to seeing even more people going along to the club and taking up the game.”

A spokesman for Queensbury Sports & Social Club thanked all those who had been working long hours to make the project a reality.

To mark the imminent start of the construction work, Jane Glaister, the Council’s strategic director for culture and tourism, Phil Barker, the Council’s assistant director of leisure services, and Mike Twiggs, of Sport England, visited the club to meet officials.