Grant News
The Football Foundation offers the Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund, a six-year tapered grant designed to help grassroots football clubs and related organisations improve the quality of their grass pitches. The goal is to elevate pitches to the 'Good' standard as defined by the Grounds Management Association (GMA). Funding is allocated annually, with amounts decreasing over the six-year period. For example, an 11-a-side football pitch requiring enhancement may receive £3,200 per pitch in the first two years, £2,133 in years three and four, and £1,067 in the final two years. The total funding available through this initiative is £14 million.
The grant supports various maintenance activities recommended in the applicant's PitchPower Assessment Report. These activities include slitting, scarification, decompaction, selective herbicide application, fertilisation, overseeding, top dressing, and the purchase of soil samplers. Funds can also be used to hire maintenance machinery necessary for the prescribed works. However, routine maintenance tasks such as grass cutting, hedge trimming, line marking, and the purchase of machinery or goalposts are not covered by this grant.
Eligible applicants include grassroots football clubs, leagues, charities, educational institutions offering community use during evenings and weekends, and town and parish councils that host grassroots football clubs on council-owned sites. Clubs within the National League System (Steps 1-6) and the Women's Football Pyramid (Tiers 1-4) are also eligible, provided the funding is directed towards non-stadia pitches used for community football.
Applicants must have appropriate security of tenure and have completed a PitchPower Pitch Assessment Report prior to applying. To apply, organisations should complete the PitchPower inspection, obtain the assessment report, and submit their application through the Football Foundation's official website.
There is no closing date; applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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