PUPILS and staff at a Billingham secondary school are celebrating after scooping two huge cash boosts to enhance their sporting facilities.

Sport England and the Football Foundation have given cash injections of £1.8m and £655,709 to Northfield School.

The school will now be able to have a floodlit 11-a-side all-weather pitch along with a refurbishment and drainage system for their five outdoor full-size football pitches, one of which will also be floodlit.

The money will also fund four new junior pitches and a football grid area.

Effectively, the project will become a mini-soccer centre, increasing opportunities for the under-11 age group.

There are nine boys' and two girls' teams using the facility in the 11 to 16 age group and the new centre will increase numbers so that 21 boys' team and 15 girls' teams will have access to these modern facilities.

The project is part of an overall scheme, which will incorporate a sports hall, gymnasium, multi-sports area, changing rooms for male and female players, toilets and showers, fitness suite and a community social area with refreshment facilities available.

The school has gained Sportsmark and Sportsmark Gold awards and was one of the first schools to be involved in the School Sports Co-ordinators Programme.

David Youldon, headteacher at the school, said: "We are absolutely delighted at this fantastic boost for our sporting facilities.

"We are committed to providing sporting amenities second to none in the area, which will not only benefit our students but also the whole community."