The next generation of Bradford City footballers will be trained at a new-state-of the-art facility being built by a partnership of city schools.

A new all-weather pitch, five-a-side pitches, pavilion and gym costing £2.5 million is set to be built on the grounds of Hanson School in Swain House.

The centre is being built for use by schools across the north of the city, Bradford City's Centre of Excellence programme and the wider community.

The majority of funding for the project is coming from the company Goals UK which will operate a commercial five-a-side centre.

But the facility will be for school use during lesson time and priority will also be given to community clubs which already use Hanson's existing facilities.

A planning application has been submitted to Bradford Council and now Hanson School and Swain House Primary school are putting together a bid for approval from the Department for Education and Skills which will be submitted in October.

The facility will include a full size, flood-lit all-weather pitch, ten flood-lit five-a-side courts, a gym and a pavilion containing new changing facilities and lounge with disabled access.

New grass pitches will also be created at Swain House Primary School, in Swain House, on land which is currently occupied by Feversham School buildings which are due to be demolished.

Hanson School hope building work will begin in November and the facility will be up and running by March next year.

Assistant head teacher Derek Needham said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for the whole of north Bradford which is starved of resources and needs this facility."

He said the pitches would be used by the six secondary schools in the North Bradford Confederation and Hanson's feeder primary schools.

The project has been welcomed by Bradford City which will use the pitches to train promising young players from around the district.

The club's centre of excellence programme has teams from under-nines to under-16s and also has development centres which it runs for younger children.

Bradford City's Youth Development Officer Peter Horne said: "There is a big shortage of good football pitches around Bradford and Hanson School has allowed us to use its pitches for the last two or three years which has been superbly beneficial to us.

"The creation of the new floodlit and five-a-side pitches is great news for Bradford City but also for the local community as well because Hanson School is building something which will be for all the people of Bradford to use and this is fantastic news."

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