Former Lioness, Jill Scott, has opened the first of 23 new grassroots football facilities named after the Euro 2022 winning squad.

The pitches, being built in or around the hometowns of the winning players are funded by the Government, the FA, and the Premier League’s Football Foundation.

The £300m capital investment in grassroots facilities will inspire the next generation of female stars with top-class facilities and represents the biggest-ever commitment to delivering equal access for women and girls playing football.

The ‘Jill Scott Pitch’ was unveiled in a ceremony at the Perth Green Community Centre in Jarrow alongside coaches and members of the local community who will benefit from the 3G pitch.

The new floodlit facility is just five miles from Scott’s hometown of Sunderland and will support the growth of female, disability, and recreational football in the local area.

Following their victory – the first English football team to win a major trophy since 1966 – the Government, Premier League, and the Football Association’s Football Foundation committed to naming grassroots facilities in honour of the squad.

The site namings form part of national efforts to raise the profile of women’s football at the elite level and increase access and participation for women and girls at the grassroots level.

Fifty per cent of the investment is going directly to the most-deprived areas across the UK and the benefits will be felt beyond football: by 2025, 40% of Football Foundation investment will go to projects which host at least one additional sport such as rugby, cricket, netball, and basketball.

Scott said: “It’s an absolute honour to have a site that will be used by so many people in the local community named after me in the place I used to play!

The success of the team wasn’t just about lifting the trophy, it was also about changing the path for women and girls who want to or currently play football up and down the country

“Winning the Women’s Euros was incredibly special and I hope, thanks to this recognition and funding, this pitch will benefit Lionesses of the future.“

Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, added: “I’m delighted we are honouring Jill and the entire 23 woman squad as part of our £300m investment in grassroots multi-sport pitches.

“The Lionesses thrilled the nation with their historic EUROs victory, delivering the nation’s first major tournament win in more than 50 years.

“They have inspired a generation of women and girls to believe they too can achieve their dreams.”

And the FA’s director of women’s football, Sue Campbell, said: “The success of the team wasn’t just about lifting the trophy, it was also about changing the path for women and girls who want to or currently play football up and down the country.

“By 2024 The FA want to see 5,000 good-quality pitches added to the current number.

“With the Football Foundation, we are prioritising the areas and communities where these new pitches are most needed.”

The Government’s grassroots multi-sport pitches programme successfully delivered more than £43m of funding across the UK last year, with an additional £168m to be invested into facilities in England between 2022-2025, on top of an existing and continuing £18m annual commitment.