June 29 – While English focus has been on the restart of the Premier League and Championship, grassroots football has received a boost with the FA and the Government, through Sport England, making £2.19 million available via the Football Foundation to help clubs return to football.
The new Club Preparation Fund will makes grants of £500 available to clubs and community organisations to prepare their buildings to reopen in line with Government guidance around hygiene and social distancing. More than 4,000 grassroots clubs and organisations across the country will be able to benefit.
Grassroots football clubs and organisations, FA National League System clubs, Welsh Cymru Premier League clubs, and clubs in The FA Women’s Pyramid that own their own facility or have at least 12 months’ security of tenure, are all eligible for the grants.
The new grants are a continuation of the £7 million Pitch Preparation Fund, which is benefiting 9,588 pitches and is Government support for clubs that have lost normal revenue streams during the pandemic.
Robert Sullivan, Interim Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “We had a great response to the recent Pitch Preparation Fund, with clubs welcoming our emergency support to get nearly 10,000 playing surfaces across the country match-fit.
“The Club Preparation Fund is a continuation of the support to assist the return of football by helping clubs prepare their buildings for the COVID-19 environment.
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