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Sky Bet and the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund marked a significant milestone with the first visit to the construction site of the Southlands Community and Sports Hub in Park End, Middlesbrough, on Wednesday last week.
The event welcomed media representatives and key stakeholders to witness the early progress of a transformative development for East Middlesbrough.
The Southlands Hub, currently being built on the site of the former Southlands Centre on Ormesby Road, is a flagship initiative led by Middlesbrough Council in partnership with the Middlesbrough Football Club Foundation.
The project received a £100,000 grant from the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund, alongside support from the UK government.
The Building Foundations Fund was established by Sky Bet and the EFL to support grassroots initiatives that strengthen local communities through sport, education, and social engagement.
The Southlands Hub exemplifies this mission, aiming to provide top-class facilities for grassroots football, youth programmes, mentoring, and employability training.
The Southlands Hub aims to provide top-class facilities for grassroots football, youth programmes, mentoring, and employability training
The project has received a £100,000 grant from the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund
Stage one of the development includes the construction of the hub building, featuring community meeting rooms, a social area, upgraded 3G and grass pitches, and new open spaces for sport and recreation. Stage two is expected to bring further enhancements to the site. The site is scheduled to open in early summer 2026.
Among those in attendance was former professional footballer and broadcaster Chris Kamara, who grew up in the area and played much of his early football in Park End.
'My first surprise was, how comes Middlesbrough? When I was growing up, we didn’t have a lot going on around there, so that was a massive surprise and a welcome boost,' Kamara said on the funding.
'To be involved in it is incredible. You know, I’m so delighted for the area. The kids can start dreaming like I did, of being a professional footballer. You’ve got these facilities, which are state-of-the-art, and they’ll be able to use them.'
When asked what motivated him to get onboard with the initiative, Kamara spoke on the importance football plays in the region and the positive impact the Southlands Hub will have going forward.
'[The funding can have a massive impact]. To have the football club [Middlesbrough] onboard as well will be massive for the youngsters to dream and think, one day, like I did, ‘Maybe I could put on that shirt of Middlesbrough and walk out at the Riverside’.
'Now days, kids have got to contend with computers and mobile phones. We need to get them out of the house. I don’t want to sound like a dinosaur, but we didn’t have distractions in those days – you either played football or played in the street. Otherwise, you did nothing, basically.
'If you were lucky enough to have a telly, you got maybe an hour [to watch it] – so we had no distractions, but not the facilities. Now, they’re making the facilities available for the youngsters, so [they should] use them – there’s no excuse.'
Kamara also took time to answer questions surrounding the 2025-26 Premier League season - including his top contenders for the title.
'Liverpool [have stood out so far this season]. People keep saying they’re not firing on all cylinders – well they’ve won their games. God help teams when they do start firing. They were electrifying against Newcastle. Look at Chelsea in their second game, they picked up really well [against West Ham United].
'Mikel Arteta and Arsenal – they’ve been building up for this. There won’t be any second chances this time. He’s going to have to win the Premier League or the Champions League. He probably has his best squad.
'Manchester City – you can never write them off – especially with Pep [Guardiola] at the helm. Spurs may be the dark horses this year – there is so much to look forward to.'
Kamara also shared his opinion on the Alexander Isak saga at Newcastle. It is worth noting his comments were made prior to Liverpool's acquisition of Isak.
'[The Alexander Isak situation is] very difficult for all concerned. What you’re going to have to do with all these top players is that when you sign them, you’re going to have to put in a buyout clause, and then if a club pays, you accept that, and they can walk,' he said.
'The situation with Isak is that he was adored by the Newcastle fans and now he doesn’t want to play for them. So, they have every right to feel let down and disappointed.'
Chris Kamara was speaking to Sky Bet at the site of the Southlands Community and Sports Hub in Park End, Middlesbrough, which is being supported by a £100,000 grant from the Sky Bet EFL Building Foundations Fund.
