BEDFONT Sports are celebrating their new Combined Counties League status with a £1.2million refit of their ground.

The works have been made possible by a £758,000 grant from the Football Foundation, which was secured this week.

The club, which will play in Combined Counties One next season after promotion from the Middlesex County Premier, will spend the cash doing up their Hatton Road base.

A new changing room block will be built, plus a link building to the exisiting clubhouse, and a new artificial pitch with floodlighting.

It is not the first time that the club has benefited from Football League cash.

Its junior section, the Bedfont Eagles, have been given four sets of kit and equipment worth £1,600.

Bedfont Sports has worked on the project with Hounslow Council, who sold it the land a decade ago when the club was founded.

Lead member for leisure, Councillor Rebecca Stewart, said: "We are delighted.

"The new changing room and artificial sports pitch with floodlighting will allow the club to expand and provide more football opportunities for the community.

"I would like to thank all those involved for their hard work in securing this award and the Football Foundation for their kind donation."

The project is also being made possible thanks to donations from local firms, including SITA and BAA, as well as fundraising by club members.

Bedfont Sports kick off their pre-season campaign next Saturday by hosting Hanworth Villa, before Camberley visit three days later.

Battersea will visit the following Saturday (July 25), and Southall on August 1.

Meanwhile, hundreds of children from 70 teams took part in Bedfont Eagles' Summer Tournament last weekend. Some of the action is pictured right.

Eagles won the U12s, U13s and U15s age groups, while Delaford Colts scooped the U9s, Kempton Park the U10s, Bedfont Green the U11s and Staines Town the U14s.