AMBITIOUS plans for a new Huddersfield sports centre are ready for take-off after vital cash support was confirmed.

A £1.6m sport and community centre is to be built on the site of Moldgreen Amateur Rugby League Club, at Ridgeway playing fields in Dalton.

Organisers said they were delighted after landing a big grant from Sport England.

Now work on the complex is set to start in January.

It is three years since a £650,000 bid was made to Sport England by a steering group from the Dalton, Rawthorpe and Moldgreen regeneration project.

Gill Sykes, chairman of the steering group and secretary of Moldgreen ARLFC, said: "It's going to be wonderful.

"We will be knocking down the old rugby club and starting again."

Moldgreen ARLFC will pay to use the rugby pitches, which will be drained and levelled.

Football teams using the pitches will also pay a fee.

There will be a floodlit multi-use outdoor facility for football, training, basketball and other sports.

Inside the centre will be a fitness suite and a large function room.

This will be used for parties, aerobics classes, education courses, children's activities, subsidised meals and entertainment for the elderly.

There will also be a large bar area and a creche for young children.

Central Government money via the Dram regeneration group will cover £634,000 of the project, £50,000 has come from the Lottery and Kirklees Council stumped up £256,000 to cover a shortfall and make the project viable.

Mrs Sykes said: "I am sure that Kirklees Council's coming up with the money swung the vote in our favour with Sport England."