Owner Don Crosbie is excited after Ashford United got the go-ahead to use their new 3G pitch at Homelands.

United cleared the final hurdle when the FIFA-appointed authorised agent passed the pitch last week, following a series of delays and setbacks in laying the new surface which has cost in the region of £400,000.

The club's under-18s were the first team to use the pitch, beating Eastbourne Borough 2-1 in the Ryman Youth League Cup on Thursday night.

It's the turn of the senior team when Ashford host Erith Town in the Southern Counties East League on Saturday.

Mr Crosbie said: “This project has not been about me or my family but the long-term future of Ashford United – the next 10 years not six or seven weeks. We are here for the long haul and to create a legacy for local football in the area.

“The pitch looks fantastic and people will be blown away when they see the transformation.

“We will have an official opening of some kind but it’s not about us showing off saying ‘look what we have got’.

“We have just been getting on with the job and everyone involved has worked exceptionally hard. Our band of volunteers, many of them retired, have been
fantastic.

“They aren’t looking for praise but everyone of them should be proud of what they have achieved and all can say ‘I played a part in it’.

“I am looking forward to seeing what happens during the winter when games are being called off around the county because of waterlogged pitches.

“People will then say didn’t Ashford United do a fantastic job, moving with the times and not staying in the doldrums.”

Mr Crosbie also revealed he is helping 15 other clubs, including some in Kent, who he wouldn’t name, offering them United's business model in their quest to install artificial pitches.

Meanwhile the club have appointed Denise Peach as their new CEO.

She succeeds Patsy Brett, who has stepped down due to work commitments