The Longmead facility includes a brand new pavilion plus football pitches, an all-weather floodlit multi-use games area, tennis courts and children’s play area.

The Football Foundation provided £162,700 to the project which totalled £263,000 and was led by local volunteer, Jack Purssell, with an aim to increase football participation in the rural area.

Hemyock JFC already run boys teams at U8, U10 and U12 age groups as well as an adult senior side and the new facilities mean that they can now start planning for more youth football age groups plus a girls section.

The club’s community work doesn’t stop there either with the brand new pavilion including a host of environmentally friendly features with solar panels, low energy lighting and a green roof planted with sedum.

Hemyock was first identified by the Parish Council as a possible sports and recreation facility in 1991 with over 70% of local residents supporting the venue’s development.

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “These excellent new facilities will increase opportunities for local people around Hemyock to play sport.  It is thanks to funding from the Premier League, The FA and the Government that the Football Foundation exists to help make projects like the Longmead pavilion happen.

“Congratulations should go to Hemyock Football Club the Devon County FA and all other key partners.”

The Football Foundation is dedicated to revitalising the grass roots of the game, constructing modern football facilities, developing football as a force for social cohesion and as a vehicle for education in communities throughout the country.

Funded by the FA Premier League, The Football Association, Sport England and the Government, the Football Foundation is the nation’s largest sports charity with a £45m budget going straight into the heart of football.