OFFICIALS at Bolton Lads and Girls Club kicked off an exciting £1.7m project to improve facilities at Hacken Lane.

Chief executive Karen Edwards was joined by local dignitaries as the first piece of earth was dug up ready for work to start on the ground.

She said it was a special day in the history of the club and was excited about the new initiative.

She said: "For many years we thought this day would never come as it has been a dream for the football manager and groups at the club to provide top-class sports facilities for the town.

"Now after five years that dream can eventually become a reality."

The £1.7 million building will replace the club’s existing 60-year-old sports hut.

An artist’s impression of the new pavilion shows a modern looking single-storey red brick building with a corrugated metal roof.

This will comprise of four changing rooms with segregated shower and toilet facilities catering for 16 people each, a disabled changing room and two smaller changing rooms with showers for two match officials.

It will have a full-size 3G pitch installed with flood lights along with redevelopment of the existing natural turf pitches.

The new facility will also incorporate a new parking facility and overflow car-park to remove current safety issues of kerb-side parking on Hacken Bridge Road and to accommodate the increase in capacity of users.

The new pavilion will have better facilities, more space and more changing rooms for the 3,000 eight to 21-year-olds who use the club every week for their football matches.

It will also extend the club's sporting offer to include taster sessions in cricket, hockey and rounders and looks to increase and sustain sports participation in Bolton.

Cllr Cliff Morris, leader of Bolton Council, said: "It is a great facility that is local and the Lads and Girls Club are very much part of the Bolton family.

"The council is delighted to be helping the club to achieve this.

"The current facility has been well-used and this year is the start of an area which the young people in Bolton deserve and we should thank to the club for providing them."