Young people will be able to turn up and play football for free on the astro-turf at Bury St Edmunds Leisure Centre from this Friday.

The new street football project is down to a partnership between Suffolk Positive Futures, Anglia Community Leisure’s Street Sports Project and Abbeycroft Leisure, which runs the leisure centre.

Coaches and volunteers will be there every Friday from 7.30pm to 9pm to deliver coaching to young people aged 12 to 19 as well as organising small matches and tournaments.

The project is being launched with community sessions across Bury this week and there are plans to take the project back out into the community during future school holidays.

Paul Knight, manager of Suffolk Positive Futures, a youth crime prevention and reduction service, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer this project again for young people of Bury St Edmunds.

“We are hopeful that the project can remain a constant fixture on a Friday night in the town.” The project is part-funded by The Suffolk Community Foundation via the Safer Suffolk Fund.