BLACKBURN Rovers star David Dunn and Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor were guests of honour at the opening of a new £800,000 facility designed to encourage more youngsters to take up sport.

An extension to the existing facilities has been built at Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School’s Harrison Playing Fields in Lammack Road, providing new changing rooms as part of a 25-year partnership with Blackburn Community Sports Club.

With the aid of a grant of £263,356 from the Football Foundation and an addition £250,000 from the FA, the completion of the facility will give both QEGS pupils and local youngsters the chance to participate in sport in more pleasant surroundings.

The development includes six dual-gender changing rooms, three officials’ changing rooms, an education and community room and a sensory room.

The previous dressing rooms were housed in a pavilion that is more than 50 years old and, together with the pitches on site, were used by Blackburn Community Sports Club, which incorporates the popular Lammack Juniors Football Club.

Asked how much such facilities would help local youngsters, Great Harwood-born Dunn joked: “I don’t know. I didn’t get any of that!

“It’s a fantastic facility for the community. It’s probably as good as our training ground!

“I’m certainly one for looking after your own community and this is a great way of doing that.

“The young people are very lucky to have this. Providing better facilities brings the best out of people and hopefully their ability can come out more.”

PFA chief executive Taylor, who represented Rovers between 1976 and 1978 and is still based in the area, said: “It is fantastic to see the quality of the facility, funded for the most part by the football family, of which I’m part of.

“The Football Foundation have put billions into grass roots. They’re not always recognised for that but this is the perfect example of coming together with a school, which I know personally because my sons went to the school, and the community club, of which I’m also president.

“I know both of the partners well and I know their commitment to sport.”

Blackburn Community Sports Club chairman Nigel Dixon said: “This has been ongoing for about five years and for it to come to fruition is a very proud moment.

“We have in the region of 18 male teams, five ladies’ and girls teams and three disabled teams on the football front.

“We also have indoor golf, netball teams and are looking to involve cricket and many sports.

“We wouldn’t have the security without this new development but our partnership is now secure with Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School. It enables us to move forward.”

QEGS can count Burnley cricketing brothers Michael and David Brown, who play for Surrey and Glamorgan, Lancashire’s Oliver Newby and footballers James Beattie and Frank Fielding as well as European Tour golfer Nick Dougherty among their former pupils.