THE finishing touches have been made to plans for a footballing centre of excellence in Durham.

Durham City Football Club yesterday finalised its scheme to develop eight indoor six-a-side pitches, with top-quality playing surfaces similar to those used by top clubs such as Newcastle United and Barcelona.

The club hopes to nurture talent in the area with its new facilities and attract youngsters from across the region.

It will be based at Durham City's ground on the Belmont Industrial estate.

In addition to the eight pitches, it will have three changing rooms - one for female players. It will also have a steam room, a classroom where children can be coached, and an area for the disabled.

But the main feature will be the synthetic turf pitches, made with granules of rubber, allowing players to wear studded boots.

The surface will help reduce the number of back injuries footballers receive caused by the impact of playing on hard indoor pitches.

Club chairman Stewart Dawson visited dozens of top clubs in Britain and Europe to find the best surface.

He said: "We'll be the first club in the North-East to have this kind of pitch open to the public.

"We'll run leagues and classes in the evening, and during the day we will run coaching classes for schools and all sorts of FA coaching classes. Hopefully, it will be soon up and running. I can't wait until it's open and busy with people."

At yesterday's meeting at the club, when the plans were finalised, a proposed first-floor function room was dropped due to extra cost. This means the club will need to seek revised planning permission, but Mr Dawson hopes to push ahead with the building work as soon as possible.

The facilities will be funded entirely by the club, which sold its New Ferens Park ground, near The Sands, in Durham, and moved to the Archibald Stadium in November 1995.

* Durham City are due to their FA Vase tie against Sudbury today at the Archibald Stadium.