Nearly 3,000 clubs across the country benefit from Pitch Preparation Fund

Football pitches across the country are set to be enhanced thanks to a £7 million scheme from the Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation.

The Pitch Preparation Fund was set up in support of the game, which is currently facing unprecedented challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is providing grants to clubs that have lost out on normal revenue streams during this difficult period and helping them to get their pitches ready for when it is safe to play football again, following Government advice.

The response to the Fund has been positive, with around 3,000 applications received in the two-and-a-half weeks the application window was open during May.

As a result, £7m of investment has been awarded to 2,902 clubs and organisations.  This will allow 9,588 football pitches to be made match-fit, benefiting 33,153 football teams in the grassroots, non-league and women’s game, as well as every club in the Welsh Cymru Premier League.

The Pitch Preparation Fund’s impact in numbers:

  • A total of 2,902 grants awarded
  • £7m of investment
  • 9,588 football pitches improved
  • 33,153 football teams benefiting
  • 2,196 grassroots clubs awarded grants
  • 706 clubs in the National League System awarded grants
  • 1,138 grants will support women and girls’ football
  • All 12 Welsh Cymru Premier League clubs awarded grants
  • May 2020 saw a 176% increase in general Football Foundation applications when compared to the same period last year.

As a result of the exposure of the Pitch Preparation Fund, the Football Foundation also received an increase of 176% in its regular facility grant applications during May 2020, compared with May 2019.  This means even more football sites will be improved, over and above those receiving Pitch Preparation Fund grants.

Robert Sullivan, Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Football Foundation, said: “We’ve been delighted by the response to the Pitch Preparation Fund when it launched just a few weeks ago.

“Our national game can’t take place without playing surfaces being in good condition so this £7 million of investment provided by the Premier League, The FA and the Government is an important helping hand for clubs across the country to get their pitches match-fit for when matches are allowed to start up again.”

Mark Bullingham, The FA’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “The positive response to this initiative across the football community has been very encouraging and we remain committed to supporting clubs through this uncertain period. This fund will help clubs to carry out vital work and prepare pitches for when it's safe for the game to resume.”

Jay Cotton from Connah’s Quay Nomads Football Club, who were awarded a Pitch Preparation Fund grant, said: “This was one of the clearest and simplest grant applications I’ve ever made. Really transparent and took little time to complete. In these challenging times, grant aids and support is going to be key for all clubs.”

The grants awarded will help with essential maintenance works toward grass pitches, including vertical decompaction, slitting, over seeding, fertilising and weed-killing, as well as routine preparatory works such as grass cutting and the setting out and line-marking of pitches.  For artificial surfaces, eligible works include deep cleaning, overmarking and FA pitch testing.

In addition to grassroots clubs benefitting from the scheme, 673 non-league, Women’s Super League and Welsh Cymru Premier League clubs have been supported via the Premier League’s Football Stadia Improvement Fund.

Clubs and other organisations are also being given access to the Football Foundation Groundskeeping Community.  This is a free online resource the Foundation developed with The FA and the Grounds Management Association, containing advice and guidance.  Anyone can sign up at https://thefa.hivelearning.com/groundskeeping.

The Football Foundation is a charity funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England.

ENDS

For more information please contact Rory Carroll on 07545 932432 or rory.carroll@footballfoundation.org.uk.

Notes to Editors 

About the Football Foundation

The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation is the largest sports charity in the UK.  It champions and supports fair access to quality football facilities for everyone, regardless of postcode, gender, race, disability or place.

The Foundation receives money from the Premier League, The FA and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, through Sport England. This is matched with partnership funding and awarded as grants to create outstanding grassroots facilities that enable better games and attract more players, helping to transform communities.

The Football Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.  Since 2000, it has awarded more than 17,600 grants to improve facilities worth more than £708m – including 885 artificial grass pitches, 3,587 natural grass pitches and 1,210 changing facilities.  This has attracted an additional £885m of partnership funding – totalling over £1.5bn investment in grassroots football so far.

Through the Foundation, the Premier League, The FA, DCMS and Sport England have come together to create the National Football Facilities Strategy (NFFS) that will guide work over the next ten years to transform many more local facilities.  Local Football Facility Plans (LFFP) are being created to identify priority projects where demand is greatest, and the impact will be strongest and help stimulate the action required to deliver them.

Visit footballfoundation.org.uk for more information on the Foundation.