A WITNEY football pitch used by hundreds of people will be transformed by a £200,000 grant from the Premier League and the FA.

The artificial grass pitch at Henry Box School, prone to waterlogging, will upgraded to a state-of-the-art 3G pitch.

The £212,044 grant comes from the Premier League and The FA Facilities Fund, and includes contributions from Sport England and is delivered by the Football Foundation.

The foundation praised West Oxfordshire District Council and the Oxfordshire FA for securing the funding.

It will provide the new pitch to be used by Henry Box pupils as well as players from Tower Hill FC, Witney Vikings Youth FC, Witney Wanderers FC and Duckington FC.

The council's cabinet member for leisure and health, Jeanette Baker, said: "This is fantastic news as it will provide the best surface for people playing football and other sports.

"Hopefully it will attract even more people and help boost health and fitness in the local community both now and in future."

Facility development manager at the Oxfordshire FA, Andy Earnshaw, said: "This is a huge step forward for football in Witney and a much needed facility to support the excellent work of our grassroots in the town."

The Football Foundation has invested more than £1.4bn into grassroots sports through grants and attracting partnership funding.