A £12.8million state-of-the-art sports centre has opened at Parsloes Park, commemorating 1966 World Cup winning captain Bobby Moore.

The new hub has 16 grass pitches, two 3G pitches and a National League stadia pitch with seating for spectators, as well as a gym, fitness studio, café and meeting rooms to for hire — all with free parking.

The project has been financed by £6.1m from Barking and Dagenham Council and the Mayor of London, plus match-funding of £6.2m from the Premier League, the FA and the government’s Football Foundation.

Bobby Moore was a wartime child born in Barking town in 1941, who grew up around Parsloes Park to reach his schoolboy dream of playing for West Ham. He captained the club for more than 10 years and went on to lead the England squad that beat West Germany in the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

He also once owned the notorious Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel for a while.

He is now being remembered with the new sports hub developed by the Alliance Leisure group.

“It’s an honour to name it after Bobby Moore, our very own football legend,” council leader Darren Rodwell said. “Parsloes Park was his old stomping ground back in the 1950s when he was growing up.

“Future generations of budding talent can use this kitted-out space and take steps to follow their own dreams.”

The sports hub is being run by the Leisure United charity for the National Football Trust and is envisaged as “a great foundation to provide fitness and football to the people of Barking and Dagenham”.

The complex replaces an old single-storey pavilion and upgrades football facilities for local players almost to “premier league”  standards.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who chipped in some City Hall cash to kickstart the project, said it was “truly fitting” to see Bobby Moore remembered where generations of young talent will come to hone their skills.

Programmes are being created to make sure people from all backgrounds get access to fitness and football. All surplus income is being re-invested back into grassroots football to create a sustainable future for the sport.