AFC Fylde's Mill Farm sports village keeps growing in Wesham

In the Fylde town of Wesham, AFC Fylde has built something rather special. The club's home at Mill Farm is not just a football ground but the centrepiece of an ambitious sports village designed to serve the wider Fylde community.

The Mill Farm Sports Village is an £18 million development, and its first phase was a 6,000-capacity stadium for the club. It marked a major step up in facilities for a club that has grown steadily in ambition.

Building the stadium brought opportunities to the area from the start. As it took shape, the development created jobs for local people, with the new sports village recruiting staff to help run the site.

Local businesses have backed the project too. Bowker Motor Group agreed a naming partnership for the West Stand, which holds 2,000 of the stadium's total capacity, one of the first commercial partnerships at the new ground, and an early vote of confidence from a well-known local name.

The club has continued to look ahead. Plans have been put forward for a new North Stand with a capacity of 1,850, alongside an indoor dome housing a 3G pitch, a facility designed to support community sport as well as the club itself. Planning consultants PWA Planning have supported the club on the stand and community sports plan.

The wider Mill Farm site has become a hub for business as well as sport. Toy maker HTI Group has been building a new headquarters on the site, which now supports around 200 jobs according to Blog Preston.

What makes Mill Farm stand out is its sense of purpose. Rather than a stadium used once a fortnight, the vision is a place where people of all ages can play, train and watch sport throughout the week, rooted in a small Fylde town. It is an approach that puts the community at the centre of the club's growth.

Fixtures, tickets and information about community facilities can be found on the AFC Fylde website. A matchday at Mill Farm is a great way to support local football and see what the club has built for the whole community.