Premier League Cash Injection for Old Meadonians

Money will help improve playing fields at Riverside Lands

A £5,300 grant has been awarded to Old Meadonians FC for Riverside Lands Playing Fields pitch improvement in Dukes Meadows. The money is coming from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, which provides grants towards developing new or refurbished grassroots football facilities.

The grant has enabled Old Meadonians FC to carry out improvements to the playing field’s surface through the purchase of new club maintenance equipment that will not require any additional man hours.

The club worked in partnership with the Amateur Football Alliance and Middlesex FA to secure the grant.

The Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund is funded by the Premier League, The FA, and the Government, via Sport England. It is delivered by the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity. Since it was launched in 2000, the Foundation has awarded around 15,000 grants worth more than £580m towards improving grassroots sport, which it has used to attract additional partnership funding of over £800m – over £1.4bn of investment into the grassroots game.

By providing more high-quality facilities, coupled with coaching at the appropriate age group, the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund aims to improve the experience for regular players as well as attracting new players to the game.

Many of the new state-of-the-art facilities will serve to strengthen the connection between professional football clubs and their local communities, particularly in the most deprived areas of the country, through the professional clubs’ community trusts’ outreach work.

Dave Tyler, Grounds and Facilities Manager, Old Meadonians FC, said: “Without the grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund, it would have been financially difficult, as an amateur football club, to carry out these improvements which will ultimately benefit grassroots sport.”

Paul Thorogood, Chief Executive of the Football Foundation, said: “I am delighted that a grant from the Premier League & The FA Facilities Fund has enabled Old Meadonians FC to make pitch improvements. This development will provide a real boost to football in the local area.

“Since 2000, the Football Foundation has supported grassroots projects worth more than £1.3bn, investing into areas where the need is greatest and where it will have the biggest impact in terms of getting more people playing football and a wide range of other sports.

“With this funding, provided by the Premier League, The FA and the Government, through Sport England, we are helping to improve community sports facilities across the country and thereby the playing experience of those who take part.”

January 15, 2017