Award Win: Beamish Football Centre Named Retrofit Project of the Year at CENE Awards 2025!

We’re delighted to share that we played a key role in the Beamish Football Centre, which was recently named Retrofit Project of the Year at the 2025 Constructing Excellence North East Awards!

This award-winning scheme represents more than just a building – it’s a transformative community project that is already delivering real social impact for the people of Stanley and the wider region.

We were appointed from the outset, supporting Stanley Events from initial concept design through to project completion. Our team provided a full suite of services including:

• Project Management

• Procurement Advice

• Cost Management

Our involvement helped shape the successful delivery of a complex and community-focused refurbishment that not only met but exceeded stakeholder expectations.

The project was a £1.5 million refurbishment of the existing Beamish Football Centre clubhouse, which had become outdated and unfit for purpose. The redevelopment created a state-of-the-art centre for education, sport, and community activity, inspired architecturally by Sunderland’s iconic Beacon of Light.

This newly transformed facility now offers:

• Modern changing rooms and sports facilities

• New teaching and training rooms

• Office space for long-term partners

• A large function space for community and social events

Importantly, the scheme was designed with sustainability and efficiency at its heart, achieving a 60% reduction in running costs for Stanley Events through the integration of renewable technologies such as Photovoltaic Solar Panels and battery storage.

Since its opening, the new centre has already delivered a wide range of benefits to the local community, including:

• Supporting 26 football teams, catering to boys, girls, and mixed teams aged 4–26.

• Welcoming an average of 800 users per week (excluding parents).

• Enabling SAFC Foundation of Light to base 4–5 permanent staff on-site in dedicated office space.

• Delivering youth mentoring programmes for 16–19-year-olds, supporting 35 young people to date.

• Partnering with Learning Curve to deliver accredited training, helping 40 adults (35 of whom have already gained employment).

• Supporting over 150 adults aged 19+ through confidence-building and training programmes.

• Establishing a detached youth project engaging with 150+ young people across the local area.

• Hosting over 1,200 young people through events, presentations, and social activities.

• Engaging 1,800+ adults in social and community events in the new function space.

This project is a shining example of how collaborative working and sustainable construction can drive real change – socially, economically, and environmentally.

We’re proud to have supported Stanley Events in bringing this vision to life and to see it recognised as Retrofit Project of the Year.

Congratulations to everyone involved!