The opening of a £200,000 pavilion has been hailed as an opportunity for people to get involved in sport.

Kesgrave Community and Sports Centre invested the money in the facility which will be used by teams including in football and tennis.

Police and crime commissioner Tim Passmore, who officially unveiled the pavilion, said the work to open the facility had been a “tremendous achievement”.

He said: “There’s an opportunity for people to use the pavilion for a huge range of sports – there’s all sorts of things people can do here. It’s a good facility for the community and I am sure it will go from success to success.”

The project received thousands of pounds from the commissioner’s budget.

The pavilion now boasts improved changing rooms as well as a dedicated facility for referees. Vice chairman of the board of trustees, Richard Haskell, said it had been a “very important” development in the centre’s history.

He said the upgraded pavilion would help clubs develop as higher leagues require stringent health and safety regulations are in place.