Football Foundation - Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund

Objectives of Fund

The Maintenance Fund provides six-year tapered grants to help football clubs sustain pitches already at a 'good' level and enhance pitches that are either considered 'poor' or 'basic', in accordance with a PitchPower Pitch Assessment.

Value Notes

Funding falls into two categories - 'Enhance' or 'Sustain'. The applicant's PitchPower pitch inspection (a requirement of the grant) will provide a Performance Quality Standard (PQS) per pitch, which will help the Football Foundation decide how much funding the organisation is eligible for.

The amounts below show the grant values for the first year at 100% funding.

Enhance

For pitches with a Performance Quality Standard (PQS) of 'basic' or below:

• 11 v 11 - £3,200 per pitch.
• 9 v 9 - £2,560 per pitch.
• Mini soccer - £1,920 per pitch.

Sustain

For pitches with a PQS of 'good' or higher:

• 11 v 11 - £960 per pitch.
• 9 v 9 - £640 per pitch.
• Mini soccer - £384 per pitch.

Grants will be tapered down every two years by 33% (Years 1 and 2 = 100%; Years 3 and 4 = 67%; Years 5 and 6 = 33%).

Who Can Apply

All applicants must have the required security of tenure and have received a PitchPower Pitch Assessment Report.

To be eligible for this fund the applicant must own the freehold, have an uninterruptible lease of 10 years, have a licence for 10 years or have the written consent of the landowner.

Eligible organisations include:

• Grassroots football clubs.
• Leagues.
• Charities.
• Education sites (offering community usage on evenings and weekends).
• Town and Parish Councils (that host grassroots football clubs on council-owned sites).
• National League System (Steps 1-6) and Women's Football Pyramid (Tiers 1-4) clubs (only for non-stadia pitches at the site that are used for community football).

The Foundation also requires a minimum of two members of the organisation to complete the Grounds Management Association (GMA)'s online Level 1 Football Grounds Maintenance course. The certificate of completion will need to be submitted to the Foundation prior to the release of any grant.

Location

England

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Clubs, leagues or organisations without suitable security of tenure.
• Clubs, leagues or organisations without a PitchPower Pitch Assessment Report.
• Local Authorities without an eligible organisation that applies on their behalf.
• Site operators, such as education sites, that do not offer community use on the evenings/weekends.
• Any individual or sole trader.
• Any commercial/for-profit entity.
• Routine maintenance works such as grass cutting, hedge cutting, line-marking and purchase of capital items.
• The purchase of machinery items.
• Machinery repair and maintenance costs.
• Goalpost and net replacement.
• Facility hire.
• In-house staffing and/or volunteer groundsperson cost/salaries.

Eligible Expenditure

The funding provided is used to carry out the recommendations from the applicant's PitchPower Assessment Report. These can include:

• Contractor works, eg slitting, scarification or decompaction, and selective herbicide (weed treatment).
• Fertiliser - contractor works and/or purchase of materials (fertiliser).
• Overseeding - contractor works and/or purchase of materials (seed).
• Top dressing - contractor works and/or purchase of materials (topsoil).
• Soil sampler - purchase of a soil sampler.
• The hiring of maintenance machinery for works that have been recommended in a PitchPower report - club volunteers operating the machinery must have completed their GMA Level 1 course.

Clubs must source independent, appropriately qualified professionals to carry out the works.

How To Apply

Applications can be made at any time after completing a PitchPower pitch inspection. Information about the PitchPower mobile tool can be found on the Football Foundation website.

Applicants will need to complete a PitchPower inspection within the last 12 months for all their pitches before they can apply.

After completing a PitchPower pitch inspection, organisations must create an account for the Foundation's grants portal and can then access guidance notes and the online application form.

Contact the Football Foundation for further information.