Fans of Sandbach United Football Club's first team are set to get a new 50-seater covered stand as part of a project costing nearly £25,000.

The club has been given a £18,779 grant by the Football Foundation after raising more than £5,000 in a JustGiving page in memory of goal keeping coach, Andrew Kimber.

Work at the Hind Heath Road club is set to begin in the next few months and will see a second covered stand, the Andrew Kimber stand, being built on the pitch where first team, The Ramblers, play.

The project will also include team shelters and spectator hardstanding and will take between three and four months to complete.

First team secretary, Mike Senior, said: "This isn't just a normal project because of the feeling behind it. Andrew was a very popular figure at the club and this is a way of showing our appreciation."

The Ramblers, who play in the North West Counties League Division One South, average around 150 spectators a match. They play FC St Helens on Wednesday in a pre-season match at home.

There are more than 45 teams in total based at the Sandbach Community Football Centre and says Mike, it's the women's section which is growing fastest.

"The demand for females wanting to play is increasing all the time. We have seen an increase in numbers."

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