There’s good news for Leamington as we have been awarded a £1,500 Pitch Preparation Fund grant from the Premier League, The FA and the 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 outbreak. The Fund is providing grants to clubs that have lost out on normal revenue streams during this difficult period.
The funding will enable us to prepare our football pitches so that they are match-fit for when it is safe to play football again, following Government advice.
We can use the grant towards the cost of materials, work such as verti-draining, chain harrowing, rolling, over-seeding, fertilising, weed-killing, and routine preparatory work such as grass cutting and the setting out and line-marking of pitches.
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 in the Leamington area can sign up at https://thefa.hivelearning.com/groundskeeping.
Jim Scott, Leamington FC Chairman, said: “We are very grateful to the Football Foundation. These are difficult unprecedented times financially for non-league clubs such as ours, run entirely by volunteers on the income we are able to raise ourselves. The grant will go some way to offsetting the cost of preparing our pitches for the resumption of football, whenever that may be.”
Robert Sullivan, Interim Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “This is a vital grant to help Leamington FC get their pitches match-fit. The Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation exists to help provide quality infrastructure at the lower-levels of the game. Pitch Preparation Fund grants like this one are giving a helping hand to clubs across the country to get their playing surfaces ready for when the game is allowed to begin again following government advice.”
The Football Foundation is a charity funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England.
