Women’s Super League side London City Lionesses given green light for training ground redevelopment plans at Cobdown Sports Ground in Ditton

Plans to build one of the largest “state-of-the-art” dedicated women’s football training facilities in the world have been approved.

Last night, Tonbridge and Malling’s planning committee gave its unanimous support to the London City Lionesses for the development of women and girls’ football at Cobdown Sports Ground in Ditton, near Maidstone.

The approved plans will create a facility “comparable to a men’s Premier League club” but will be built specifically to meet the needs of women.

The proposals include an improved academy and a high-quality, community 3G pitch and will allow for an expanded school and club programme.

Sarah Batters, managing director of London City Lionesses, said: “We are absolutely overjoyed.

“Giving girls the opportunity to progress their footballing dreams without going to London is just going to unearth so much talent which is local to Kent and make it possible for their parents to support them

“We are renovating our site to create, really, one of the world’s leading training centres for girls’ football and women’s football.

“The facilities will be the best in the world and will be there to serve our first team, who are the first independent club to be participating in a women’s super league, but also create an academy with all the age groups to allow girls to access pathways into football in Kent.”

She explained how building this training centre is going to “open up so many opportunities” for people living nearby.

The investment, driven by chair and owner Michele Kang, will also go towards a refurbished Cobdown Park Pavilion to provide modern changing, kitchen and meeting facilities.

The club says the campus will create more than 50 permanent jobs across the club’s operation and will generate