Walcountians Sports Club is celebrating the grand opening of phase one of its £165,000 redevelopment.

Now the Woodmansterne Road-based club is moving on to phase two, coming in at £25,000.

Phase one, funded by a £90,538 grant from the Premier League and the FA Facilities Fund, as well as money raised by the club, covered work on the clubhouse roof, changing rooms, disabled access and entrance lobby.

Phase two, funded in part by the RFU, will concentrate on internal refurbishment on areas including the bar.

The opening ceremony, held earlier this month, was attended by Surrey FA chief executive Caroline McRoyall, and the mayor of Sutton, Cllr Arthur Hookway. 

The remodelling of the changing rooms has allowed the club, who run football, rugby, cricket, hockey and lacrosse teams, to ensure that their facilities are accessible to all members of the local community.

AFC Walcountians FC, who were awarded FA Charter Standard Club of the Year for Surrey in 2010, will use the refurbished facility to help form 12 new teams, including three female teams, over the next five years.

Club chairman Peter Chmielinski said: “I am delighted that Walcountians have been able to carry out these extensive refurbishments to our clubhouse.

"These developments have allowed the club to provide a safe environment for all players and officials and we will hopefully attract lots of new members from the local area as a result."

He added: “I am incredibly thankful for the investment from the Premier League, the FA Facilities Fund and the RFU.

"I’d also like to thank Caroline McRoyall and the mayor of Sutton for giving up their time to attend the official opening.”