HOWZAT!!
Residents of Hixon now have another fantastic free-to-use sport and social facility to enjoy at the Church Lane Playing Fields.
Building on the success of the Netball taster sessions during the summer of 2025, when over forty young people played the sport for the first time, Hixon Parish Council commissioned the installation of an all-weather artificial turf cricket pitch to sit alongside the Netball Court.
This fantastic new addition to local sports and recreational facility was completed on 10th March 2026…..after four years in the planning of design and financing!
Over the coming months, volunteer cricket coaches will be hosting regular sessions for all ages to learn the basic arts of batting and bowling skills….or re-honing former skills lost over the years!
All sessions will be free to attend and all equipment provided; with safety first a priority of course.
Staffordshire County Cricket Club (https://www.staffordshirecricket.co.uk/) is supporting the initiative, saying that “Hixon village is unique in providing such a free-to-use community facility in Staffordshire outside of an established local cricket club. It will be a brilliant platform for young people to get involved in cricket at grassroots level.”
Stafford Cricket Club https://stafford.play-cricket.com/Aboutus is also backing the new facility and promising to send volunteer batting and bowling coaches
The new facility in Hixon is designed to meets the high standards set by the England & Wales Cricket Board https://www.ecb.co.uk/
Hixon Parish Council was able to secure over £ 22,000 of (Section 106) funding to cover the total cost of the project via new housing developer financial contributions held by Stafford Borough Council. There has been no cost to Hixon Parish Council or local residents for this amazing new local amenity.
An official opening ceremony is being planned in the near future, with a celebrity cricketer cutting the ribbon. The first taster sessions will start in a few weeks’ time. Look out for further details!
If you are interested in volunteering for either Cricket or Netball sessions, please contact Brendan McKeown on 07966 135536.