The FA now estimate that no less than £5bn must be ploughed into pitches to raise them to a state matching that of our European neighbours
share and we will be working hard to do this.”
Bright continues “We need to make our case and make it strong and, hopefully, investment will follow from it. You do not have to go far in Kent to realise there is a need for investment and if we can get that into the county that would be great. If we can get the schools open to sport that would be a great base where we can begin to create something.”
One element of Kent FA’s strategy is to improve and sustain the quantity and quality of football pitches and facilities throughout the county, and to increase the number of pitches and facilities to take account of the regeneration and growth taking place in the county. However, the funding for this initiative will come from the Football Foundation. The Foundation continues to do a sterling job and, since its creation in 2000, has invested in no less than 5,000 projects worth £650m. At the same time as the FA was announcing its £200m investment in grassroots football, the Foundation also announced its continued funding deal with the FA, the Premiership and the government. In addition to the £15m/a that these three provide, the Foundation has managed to deliver a £5 to £1 return on the funding partners investment, which means it has leveraged an additional £335m to supplement the grants. Good work but still falling far short of the billions needed nationwide.
Among available initiatives, the
Facilities Scheme gives grants for projects that improve facilities for football and other sport in local communities, sustain or increase participation among children and adults and help children and adults develop through participation in sport. The types of facilities it gives money for embrace the improvement in grass
We need to invest in new and improved facilities in schools, clubs and on local authority sites to deliver this National Game Strategy.”
pitches, including drainage and the creation of artificial turf pitches. The maximum grant available from
the Foundation for each facility project is £1m, although applicants are requested to find as much funding from other sources as possible first, as the Foundation will only pay a maximum of 90% towards the project costs, although that much is only awarded in exceptional circumstances where there is a strategic need.
A number of clubs have found it difficult to obtain funding for facilities improvement and the Foundation says the main reasons they will not provide funding is if there is no community access or if there is no child protection plan. “Applicants need to make sure they tick all the eligibility boxes before approaching us,”said a spokesman for the Foundation. “They can get all the help they need from their county FA and that means when we receive the application it can be approved straight away.”
Stonebridge Recreation
Ground in north London, for example, is one facility that has been
transformed with the help of a £1m
Football Foundation grant awarded to the Hillside Housing Trust. The site now boasts state-of-the-art facilities, comprising a new four-room changing pavilion, housing a mini gym, a café, a multi-purpose hall, training rooms for coach and referee education and a viewing terrace. The site also has a refurbished full-size grass pitch, full- size floodlit 3G artificial grass pitch and a multi-use games area, used for netball, tennis and other sports. As the jewel in the crown of Harlesden’s urban renewal programme, the Stonebridge Recreation site is an example of how a sports centre can help regenerate an entire community. By the FA’s own estimates, pitches need massive investment in them to ensure they provide workable standards for grass-roots football. With no sign of an increase in funding anytime soon, millions of die-hard participants are consigned to struggle on sub-standard, poorly drained surfaces. Attempts to raise standards at the
grass-roots level perhaps should start with more attention to what is, literally, the root of the problem.
Image ©
soccersquared.com
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