Two New Classrooms At New Manor Ground

Ilkeston FC begin their inaugural Evo-Stik NPL campaign on Saturday, but the club is already making great strides off the field

Two purpose-built classrooms created this summer at the New Manor Ground are to be officially opened before this weekend's clash with Goole AFC by Jessica Lee, the MP for Erewash.

SR Education pledged in November when it won the right to buy the assets of Ilkeston Town and form a new football club that it would have a significant presence within the local community, and the latest development fits with that theme.

Ilkeston FC chairman Dave Mantle is also managing director of SR Education and he said: “The classrooms are another major step forward for us and will open up all sorts of possibilities.

“It was always a part of our master-plan to create these - even before we took over the club. At the time when we were just running the Academy we were having to rent facilities and transport people around, and it all got very messy.

“We needed a firm base from which to run the education project - especially with apprenticeship numbers at the football club increasing during the summer from 28 to 40 - and we now have tremendous scope for broadening our Ilkeston operation into new areas.”

SR Education are currently looking closely at a number of adult schemes. They already specialise in delivering Customer Services and Health & Social Care courses, and other topics under consideration are IT and Business Improvement Techniques.

The classrooms have been purpose built by local builder Kim Jackson to a high specification and include two separate study rooms which will both be fully equipped with state of the art computer technology. The education centre also includes staff office accommodation and storage areas.

The rooms will comfortably accommodate up to 50 students at any one time and will be fully operational within two weeks of Saturdays opening .

Added Mr Mantle: “Saturday is obviously a massive day for Ilkeston FC because we are playing our first-ever League match and we’re delighted that Jessica Lee has agreed to officially open the classrooms in advance of the kick off.

“As a business we are absolutely committed to providing opportunities for people living in this area and we believe that these facilities can have major impact within the borough of Erewash.”