Ashton Playing Fields - Grandstand

July 17, 2023

Ashton Playing Fields Grandstand

Ashton Playing Fields is the new home ground for Woodford Town Football Club and Woodford Green & Essex Ladies Athletics Club, the Premier Athletics Club in Essex. A venue fit for Olympians, some of whom currently train there. With high standards expected at this venue the Longley Group were brought in by the F.A. to design and execute the construction of a new grandstand and a new modular pavilion building to provide a gym facility, a committee room, changing rooms including toilets and showers, as well as a clubhouse area. In line with F.A. regulations a perimeter fence was installed to restrict unauthorised access or use of the venue. We’ve introduced a hammer cage, flood lights, plus their new training facilities as well as a P.A. system, including speakers, wireless microphones and standard mics ready to assist with facilities for competition level at the Woodford Green Athletic Club.

There are about 120 men on this site at its peak, including our own full time project manager who controls the day to day site safety, an assistant project manager and the labour team. A full welfare village is also on site to ensure the physical and mental health of all the team is being catered for. The time-scale for the project was planned for July 2020 to December 2020, which has recently been accelerated to be completed by the first week in November as a result of Woodford Town’s entry in to the league. Pete Sinnock, Commercial & Operations Director for the Longley Group said ‘they needed their ground up and running sooner than planned so we have accelerated our work to accommodate them and we are on target to have the works completed on time”.


The project is under a full considerate contractor scheme and has been audited and scored very highly, as well as having independent health and safety audits by our own team. Three site visits so far have all been positive. We support social values on the holding and neighbourly relations are also positive. We have also sponsored a drawing competition with Rodding Primary School which is located around the corner from the sports ground. The children have been asked to draw images of what they envisage the new stadium will look like. There will be a prize for the winning entry as well as a donation of equipment to the school.