Sarum Academy in Salisbury opened their new 3G artificial turf football pitch on Friday 25 March.

The project was supported with a £10,000 funding boost from The Hills Group Limited, made available through the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) which is administered for Hills by Community First, the Rural Community Council for Wiltshire. Other funding was also secured from Salisbury City Council, the Football Association, the Football Foundation, and the Trust Board of Magna Learning Partnership, who decided to invest in the facility.

The site will be used by all nine schools in Magna Learning Partnership, by other local schools, both primary and secondary and by SEND children in the area, including those taught at Springfields South on the Sarum Academy campus. The Wiltshire Playing Pitch Strategy (2017) highlighted a requirement for the pitch to meet the needs of the Southern Community Area and South West Community.

The 3G pitch will be usable all year round whatever the weather, reducing the need to maintain a grass pitch for longer term use, and eliminating the machinery and fertilisers usually needed to maintain a grass surface. The 3G FTP offers a sustainable solution for the local community to develop football for years to come and expand the sport within the Salisbury and Wiltshire area.