AN AMATEUR league football club's new £350,000 facilities will be officially opened by a Bradford City star this weekend.

Bantams striker Billy Clarke will be at Salts Football Club and Salts Juniors Football Club to cut the ribbon of the new changing rooms on Saturday.

The Saltaire-based club paid for the build with a £226,880 grant from the Premier League and the Football Association Facilities Fund, with a further £50,000 coming from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF).

General manager Paul Whitehead said the facility had taken six months to build, and came complete with four changing areas, two separate referee rooms with their own shower facilities and a small tea bar.

He said it made a huge contrast from their old pebble-dash changing facilities, which were made of old garages back in the 1970s and have now been pulled down.

"We play in the West Riding County Amateur League, and our changing room was probably one of the worst in the league," he said.

"Now they are one of the best, so we have gone from one extreme to the other.

"The roof leaked constantly, and there was a shared bath - a big open bath where after the game everybody piled in.

"The whole building was just ramshackle, to be quite honest.

"It was 40-odd years old. In its day it would have been fantastic."

The clubs are based at Salts Playing Fields, Victoria Road, and run more than 40 different teams, including five-a-side, Saturday men's, veterans and a disabled section.

Shipley MP Philip Davies is also due to attend the opening.

Mr Davies (Con) said: "This is a fantastic development for Salts Juniors and no more than they deserve.

"They do a wonderful job getting loads of young people to participate and enjoy sport - my two children both play for Salts.

"I am delighted that the wonderful job they do has been recognised with these new facilities."

Bradford City co-chairman Mark Lawn welcomed the cash injection for football clubs like Salts Juniors.

"It's good that the club are getting a new changing facility. It is needed down there," he said.

"The Premier League should be doing more for grassroots football. It's good that they are giving some money and long may it continue.

"Grassroots level is where the future footballers will start out and come from."

The Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund comes from the Premier League, The FA and the Government via Sport England.