SPORTING youngsters are now able to welcome visiting teams to their school after the grand opening of a new £60,000 all-weather sports pitch.

The opening of the new facility at Doucecroft School in Eight Ash Green, whose pupils are on the autistic spectrum, was marked with football fixtures against Shorefields School in Clacton.

After receiving £55,000 from grants, parents, pupils and staff have raised cash with a variety of events.

Autism Anglia operates the school and head of fundraising Anna Rogers said it would be a massive help.

She said: “The students have been to other schools in the area for matches and we would like to host the other schools in return.

“The old pitch was so uneven, full of rabbit holes and thistles and was pretty unsafe.

“They learn so many skills - as well as physical education they also learn about communication, co-operation and working as a team which is so important for children with autism.

“Their self-esteem also gets a boost and burning off the excess energy can have a positive impact on their attainment in the classroom.

“At the opening events, behaviour was excellent and all of the pupils were cheering on their teammates.

“The company Sportsafe did the best they could for us and helped us scale back the pitch so we could get the price into a realistic budget.”