The work to install a new artificial pitch at the home of Hollands & Blair is due to start next week after a lengthy delay.

The Star Meadow Ground in Gillingham is controlled and operated by the Invictus Sports Group (ISG) and work on the project was delayed, they say, due to “some frustrating final issues put forward by Medway Council.”

Blair, who play in the Southern Counties East Premier Division, have been playing their home games at league rivals Lordswood this season. Works had originally been pencilled in to begin in late April.

Blair chairman Paul Piggott said: “This is a huge step for our club which excites us all, and gives us a fantastic platform to continue the great work by Laurence Plummer (the club’s honorary president, who died in 2020). Our aim is to push on and create something special in the Gillingham area for the community.”

Ground owners ISG are made up of Star Meadow owner Wayne Peirce, along with the owners of the Soccer Elite FA academy, Rich Radbourne and Lee Spiller.

The grass pitch will be replaced with a FIFA-graded artificial surface while two new classrooms for the SEFA College Education Programme will be added along with office space, a boardroom, a new changing room layout, new dugouts and expanded car parking. Work is scheduled to begin next Monday (October 10).

Mr Radbourne said: “Invictus Sports Group have worked exhaustively on this project over the last eighteen months, and after tying up some frustrating final issues put forward by Medway Council, which has delayed us by three months, we are now in a position to begin construction and push the Star Meadow site to its full potential and deliver this project for the community.

“It’s been a long road - myself, Wayne and Lee are absolutely over the moon to finally be at this point. I must give a special mention to Wayne, and his dad Barry, who have been absolutely fantastic throughout this process. The project would have been a non-starter without them, we have developed a great working relationship over the past year-and-a-half and their input has been absolutely instrumental in what we have achieved so far.

“Myself, Wayne and Lee now look forward to continuing together as Invictus Sports Group to deliver this exciting new chapter in the history of the Star Meadow site.”

The Peirce family have owned Star Meadow since 2000.

“We have taken the site as far as we can on our own,” said Mr Peirce, who is the Blair vice-president.

“We now have this opportunity to work with some good people to help the site reach its full potential, and I am looking forward to building a facility that will help Hollands & Blair and Soccer Elite FA achieve their goals.”

It’s an exciting time for Soccer Elite FA, with Mr Radbourne saying: “For years now we have known that the next step as a company would be to have a facility we could call our own.

"We have always been able to deliver top class coaching, but have sometimes been limited by having to hire external venues to host our sessions. By developing the Star Meadow site, we are able to massively expand our reach in the community while providing an unrivalled experience for all of our players from ages four to 19.”

The facility is be the base for the SEFA College, providing full-time education for 16-19 year-olds along with weekly matches. Once the new surface is laid, SEFA’s Medway Academy sessions and soccer schools will also take place on the pitches. The Soccer Elite staff will also be based at the venue in newly-configured office space.

“Hollands & Blair Football Club are a pivotal component of this project," continued Mr Radbourne. "The installation of the new pitch will give their first team a fantastic surface to play their home games on, while also putting the club in a position to provide more football to more locals in a fantastic environment, with Blair's youth and community teams having access to the facility to train and play matches on."

MP for Gillingham and Rainham, Rehman Chishti was pleased to see an upgrade of the complex, saying: “I would like to wish Hollands & Blair and Soccer Elite all the best in their exciting new adventure, which I know will be a key part of supporting the local community here.

“I'm delighted to hear about Soccer Elite's plans for the education and skills, so our youngsters can learn and play football at the same time, while Hollands & Blair are absolutely superb in ensuring football is accessible to our local youngsters."