SOUPED-UP sports facilities will be on offer to young people and community groups alike after major investment in The Oxford Academy.

The school in Sandy Lane West completed a revamp of its indoor artificial pitch in December and is preparing the ground for a brand new one opening later this year.

Contractors from specialist firm Velocity were on the site for three days over the Christmas break to revitalise the old 1,500 sq m pitch.

Headmaster Niall McWilliams said: "It had come to the end of its life and it needed a total resurface.

"We had to reduce the usage for a short time because it was wearing so much and now we are back to full capacity again, which is great.

"The pitch is used an awful lot for PE lessons but just as importantly it's for community use, teams use it and Oxford United youngsters train regularly."

In October the secondary school was granted planning permission to construct a new 8,043 sq m surface made of 3G artificial turf on sand and rubber crumb.

The £500,000 outdoor space will be built on a grassy area on the site and will feature floodlighting, changing rooms and storage areas.

Year 13 pupil Daryl Burrows said: “The new pitch helps with simple things like control of the football.

“You find you get less error from the pitch, meaning it is down to your own touch and skill and ability.

“There is no excuse if you take a poor touch or play a poor pass.

“It should build self-confidence as well. A broken pitch is not very good for self-confidence."

Mr McWilliams added the all-weather pitch is 'good for business' and will be available more often than a regular grass pitch.

He added: "The 3G pitch will be able to take more traffic and heavy use. We try really hard to work with the community and will make sure it's well-used."

Funding for the whole project has been secured from the Football Foundation after the school made a successful bid backed by the Oxfordshire Football Association.

Work on the new facility is likely to start in February or March and the pitch could be ready for use as early as September 2017.

It is due to be open for use from 8.30am to 10pm Monday to Friday, from 9am to 9pm on Saturdays and from 9am to 9.30pm Sundays.

Knights Road-based addiction recovery hub MYOX4 currently uses the indoor pitch for gentle activity sessions for people in Blackbird Leys and the surrounding area.

Manager DeeDee Wallace said: "The Oxford Academy have been really good to us. They have these fantastic facilities and are giving back to the community by encouraging people who might not normally do sports an opportunity to better their health.

"As it stands we do walking football in the park but it would be fantastic to be able to do it on an outdoor pitch so close to the project."