A NEW report has suggested that building a long-awaited futsal facility at a city leisure could be scrapped in favour of more five-a-side pitches.

Worcester City Council has said it is continuing to look at building new futsal facilities at the city’s Perdiswell Leisure Centre but a new report has suggested the project could be scrapped in favour of building more five-a-side pitches.

A number of studies have been carried out in the last four years focusing on building the new facility – the latest of which has said that the cost has risen by £500,000 to £3.4 million.

Five-a-side football pitches next to the leisure centre have reopened since a number of the early studies were carried out which latest committee reports suggest, could affect whether a futsal – an indoor, five-a-side game played using a smaller, low-bounce ball – facility is built.

Studies by the Football Foundation – the charity responsible for channelling government, FA and Premier League money into grass roots football – have previously highlighted the need for smaller football pitches in Worcester.

A report, which will be discussed by the council’s income generation subcommittee at a meeting next Wednesday, said: “The existing five-a-side pitches adjacent to the leisure centre have been brought back into use. There is a further consideration, therefore, whether the conversion of the facilities to a futsal stadium is the most cost-effective use of the site or whether the addition of further five-a-side pitches would be represent a better alternative in terms of value-for-money.”

The council carried out a study at the end of 2019 looking at whether it would be possible to open the new facilities next to the city leisure centre off Bilford Road but the costs used in the report were out-of-date and needed reviewing.

The council agreed to fund a £25,000 study in 2018 to look into installing an all-weather sports pitch and futsal pitches at Perdiswell which should have been published and discussed by councillors in late 2019 but was put on the backburner ‘as the shift focused to other projects.’

Worcester City Council’s income generation subcommittee meets in the Guildhall from 7pm on March 9.