Crystal Palace star Joel Ward joined officials to open a £370k refurbished football pitch at an Orpington school yesterday.

The defender was club chief executive Phil Alexander at Darrick Wood School on Tuesday (Oct 7) to unveil a new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch.

Pupils got the chance to test out the new surface under the guidance of Ward and Eagles foundation coaches.

Darrick Wood has strong ties to Palace and students take part in work placements, tours, and coaching schemes.

Mr Alexander said: “The new 3G pitch at Darrick Wood School is a great project for Crystal Palace FC to be involved in.

“The upgrade to a 3G surface has a multitude of benefits for players and coaches alike, and is a facility the pupils will get many years of enjoyment out of.”

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Alongside Palace the project was made possible thanks to grants from the Premier League, FA, Sport England, and the Mayor of London.

The renovation came just in time as the previous pitch had started to “decline rapidly”, explained the club.

Now, students, partner club Orpington FC, and the local community will have better access to football – and a 46 per cent increase in use is expected.

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The likes of Premier League CEO Richard Scudamore and London mayor Boris Johnson were quick to praise Crystal Palace’s outreach work and highlighted the importance of improving grass roots football.

Darrick Wood headteacher Barbara Rhymaun added: “We would like to thank Phil Alexander and Joel Ward for officially opening our newly refurbished 3G pitch.”