Portland Town Football Club would also be getting a new ground as part of the plans, which would also be available for other local clubs.

Andy Barber, secretary and co-founder of the club, said the three new pitches would enable every child on the island to play in a football team.

He said: “There are kids on the island who want to get on a team but can’t or who have to travel to Weymouth because we don’t have enough space.

“With these new pitches every child on Portland would be able to part of a team. The players and the demand are there but we don’t have the facilities at the moment.”

He added: “We will be managing the site but it will be open to other clubs who need to use the facilities.

“It will be community based, not exclusively for us, we want as many people on the island and in the area to come and use it as possible.”